But he knew the culture, he knew the type of people, and I'm not sayin' that Mormon people are better than anybody else, but their way of life is family is first. No, not at all. When I looked at everyone looking at me (as if I should call on someone to say it) I realized I should call on Allyson Cornia - literally because she was the smartest kid in the class! Rich Haskell: Because of the response and because of the emails and everything that took place. The subsequent police report states that David opened the door from the connecting bathroom, shot his injured wife in the head and killed her,[9] shot and wounded John Miller, a music teacher who was trying to flee, then closed the bathroom door and killed himself with a shot from a .45 pistol to the head. Just like with a pair of pliers, pair of snips. There was nobody killed but the perpetrators. In addition, national reporters began arriving within hours of the explosion. David went to the school office, handing out a manifesto titled "ZERO EQUALS INFINITY" and announcing "This is a revolution!" Mark Junge: Do you think David or Doris would have cut it? This can, the aluminum powder, never went off. They learned to trust in their God, the kids were healed for the most part, and they value life more now. Doris tried numerous times to calm the children by telling them to "think of it as an adventure movie," or that they "would have a great story to tell their grandchildren." On that Friday afternoon in their quiet, rural town, a deranged couple entered the community's elementary school, took those inside hostage and detonated a bomb in a first grade classroom. Twenty-five years ago on Monday, a man and his wife pushed a homemade gasoline bomb into Cokeville's sole elementary school and demanded $300 million in ransom. Upon entering the classroom, children saw an arsenal of weapons, a grocery cart and an unfamiliar manDavid Young. On that Friday afternoon in their quiet, rural town, a deranged couple entered the communitys elementary school, took those inside hostage and detonated a bomb in a first grade classroom. And I think that these people actually thought that they could start another world. Have you had anything like this, anything close to this happen? Hi, I am working on publicity for the film, and I will chime in if anyone needs it, or has other questions. I'm portrayed as the little red haired kid with glasses that asks about the AK-47. Mark Junge: They weren't big enough, in a way. David returned to the restroom and killed himself, ending the hostage crisis. Where's he running? [5] The leaking gasoline's fumes prompted teachers to open the classroom windows, unknowingly creating vents for the impending explosion. Mark Junge: Well, and it burned some of the kids. I think it's because of the ages of the kids, to start with. Mark Junge: Do you think you were cut out to do this job? We figured that he had dropped down on his knee, took his pistol and shot her to put her out of her misery, because when we went out and looked at her, there was a hole up through the bottom of her chin, and it came out the top of her head. Eventually Doris lifted her arm sharply and the bomb went off prematurely, injuring Doris while David was out of the room. It just embedded into the walls from the ammunition from the heat. Mark Junge: One of the things that Sue and I found out is that people don't regret doing this because they think it's important for history. And I'm sure that that made him very nervous. If you are interested in seeing the film, theaters are listed here. Rich Haskell: Oh my goodness! To go off to the side? They believed in reincarnation, which probably led, in part, to the creation of Davids Brave New World idea. It was cut. Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret Morning News. Survivors shared their stories with each other, investigators, family members, and hospital personnel. It's a little basket that has different layers on it. Interesting stuff to me! David Young had initially planned to involve longtime friends Gerald Deppe and Doyle Mendenhall, who had invested money with him in a get-rich-quick scheme that he had called "The Biggie. It was in their Tucson home that David came up with what he considered the Biggie, a plan to get rich quick and create a Brave New World. This plan involved Davids longtime friends, Gerald Deppe and Doyle Mendenhall, who believed by investing in Davids scheme they would get rich. The Cokeville Town Hall is located at 110 Pine St. For more information, visit the website of the Cokeville Chamber of Commerce at http://www.cokevillewy.com or call (307) 459-4195. Well, with the window being open, with the ceiling tiles being able to lift up and down, I think that absorbed a lot of the explosion of the gasoline bottle. Rich Haskell: There was a reason I was there for some reason. TC, I think, saw it the same way. The Youngs both died that day. He came out of the bathroom, is what we figured. Witnesses later testified that just before the explosion David Young had connected the explosive to his wife. Survivors began to tell their stories through a spiritual lens. Why? The tuna fish cans with the two floury would be spread out in the air likehave you ever seen a grain elevator explosion? Mark Junge: Do you know the names and birthdates of all your grandchildren? Several other survivors were there. Too many of 'em to try to remember their birthdays. Because of the experience and the different classes that I've attended, I know what bombs do to people, to buildings and to all kinds of structures. When the children became increasingly loud, Doris Young began begging the teachers to settle the group down. Do you ever think about that? On May 16, 1986, a man and his wife with a bomb took . I cannot explain it! It'sI'm still doing that kind of thing because whenever they hold General Conference in Salt Lake City I go to Salt Lake City to be part of the bomb team for the church while they have General Conference. We had people from ATFAlcohol, Tobacco and Firearmsand there was another bomb technician that came up from Evanstonhe was studying to be a bomb technicianand we all looked at that and said, "That wire's been cut." David was a diabetic. results in the deaths of perpetrators David and Doris Young; 154 hostages survive. Both David and Doris had ties to white supremacist groups, including the Posse Comitatus and the Aryan Nations. The only two fatalities were David and Doris Young. Contact us at editor@wyohistory.org for information on levels and types of available sponsorships. In the movie, it shows the tension building towards the prayer and then shortly after the bomb went off. The two brought in a bomb attached to themselves with a lanyard. All the hostages escaped, though 79 were later hospitalized with burns and injuries, the majority of which were severe.[3][2]. In the West? On May 16, 1986, when former town marshal David Gary Young and his wife Doris Young took 154 children and thirteen teachers hostage at Cokeville Elementary school in Wyoming and kept them at bay with a shopping-cart sized bomb attached to five hairpin-trigger blast caps, it should have ended in great tragedy - one of the worst in American history. Mark Junge: How many actual bombs have you had experience with? Used with thanks. In 1986 , 154 children and teachers survived the bombing of Cokeville Elementary School. Only the man and his wife, who accidentally detonated the bomb, died that day in 1986. This wasn't a pipe bomb. There are some survivors that couldn't believe how accurate much of it was. It was just shootin' everywhere. Mark Junge: But all of these holes were above the level of the children. I walked into the bathroom and there was the suspect that had started this whole mess, layin' there on the floor with ahe had a pistol in his hand and you could tell he had shot himself in the head. Angelic Intervention save all 153 in bomb blast - Cokeville Wyoming - Unexplained Mysteries - Angels Brain Boyle 2.05K subscribers Subscribe 928 158K views 11 years ago All 153 Children &. So many of 'em thatI don't know. He just said just go do it. Used with permission and thanks. I was up there as part of his protection team. You should also know that TC basically just wove a storyline into and between the facts and witness testimonies. I never did get to see that untilI think it was two days lateractually what they had taken as far as the paperwork was concerned. Mark Junge: You think when we talk to you to bring this up againI know you're emotional about itbut does it hurt you to talk about this? Rich Haskell: Pretty sophisticated guy is what he was. I did open that briefcase remotely like I was taught in school to do. The children and adults escaped after the bomb exploded. I think you should know that it can be difficult to watch - but that it has a very rewarding outcome. You could see that the roof tiles had been lifted out of their brackets. Everyone else survived, including the injured John Miller. and detonated a bomb inside. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. I don't know. He was dismissed, however, from this position shortly after his six-month probationary period. Go to their hands and knees and crawl out. The town has worked to be as respectful as possible to the multitude of experiences that day. You have to think about what you're doing right at that particular time so you can stay focused on what you have to deal with. Had a small pin-hole leak in it and it dripped into both containers and they both became paste. And we allthere was three of us there. Many of the children who stated they saw angels were of various faiths. They do now - ever since the Youngs barged in on the Cokeville Elementary School with guns and a bomb to demand . But it didn't. Dozens. And knew what they could do? Rich Haskell: No. You went back home? You'd had experience? I gathered up some of the equipment that I would need and a change of clothes and proceeded to Cokeville. But everything was black, like you had gone in there with a flamethrower and just torched everything inside there. The tuna fish cans, if you can imagine, here's two tuna fish cans sittin' here like this, and a gallon jug of gasoline sittin' above it. On May 16, 1986, when former town marshal David Gary Young and his wife Doris Young took 154 children and 13 teachers hostage at Cokeville Elementary school in Wyoming, and kept them at bay with a shopping-cart sized bomb attached to five hairpin-trigger blast caps, it should have ended in great tragedy - one of the worst in American history. For more information about our sponsors and the people behind WyoHistory.org, visit our About Us page: Hostage crisis at the elementary school in Cokeville, Wyo. ITT: people who want to pick a fight with someone who survived an incredible experience. There's a piece of wood in there that separates the jaws of a clothespin and in that clothespin there are two metal connections that the wires were hooked to which made the electrical connection with the bomb. Throughout both baskets were chain links, gunpowder, and boxes of ammunition acting as shrapnel. As time progressed, however, a different story emerged in this highly religious and largely Mormon community. On May 16, 1986, former town marshal David Young and his wife Doris Young took 167 children and adults hostage at Cokeville Elementary School. I knew fairly quickly that he would be the best chance we had at this. A compilation project by the Cokeville Miracle Foundation, a 501(c) (3) charity. Rich Haskell: And fourteen and a half great-grandchildren. I remember seeing the wide eyes on my band teacher as he collapsed with the EMTs afterward. This allowed gasoline to drip into the tuna fish cans, turning the aluminum-flour mixture into paste, unable to aerosolize. Young was a former Cokeville town marshal who had been living in Arizona for several years. How much interaction did you have with the director/producers of the movie? Have there been any lingering psychological effects from going through something so traumatic while so young? It was a great movie, very well directed and acted. Mark Junge: That's a record of all the people we've talked to! results in the deaths of perpetrators David and Doris Young; 154 hostages survive. Cokeville Bombing. Undated scrapbook. Mark Junge: Okay. I was, and I still am, a certified bomb technician at the time, and I was, as far as I know, the only bomb technician in the southern half of the state of Wyoming. But David refused to reveal his plans entirely until moments before they unfolded. WyoHistory.org welcomes the support of the following sponsors. Rich Haskell: It's a combustible. They're the ones that died from the whole thing. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. He still needed to tell it to his parents though, and that's basically what you see in the movie. Ronald DeFeo Jr., the convicted killer whose 1974 murders spawned the "Amityville Horror" franchise, died last week while serving a 25 years-to-life prison term, officials said Monday . . You can check out [CokevilleMiracle.com] (http://www.cokevillemiracle.com/movie.html). Rich Haskell: I think it could be a spiritual experience that I have with church, or being around the kids, I don't know. Students, teachers, staff and visitors frantically exited the building, with teachers helping many of the children escape through the windows. The two died after the bomb. Were you portrayed in the movie at all? A Project of the Wyoming Historical Society. I'm currently the Sheriff of Sweetwater County. She lured them by telling them there was either an emergency, a surprise, or an assembly there. Mark Junge: Why do you think that God chose Cokeville to save? Two of the three blasting caps on the bomb failed to detonate; the wires to each tuna can had been reportedly cut. At 1:00 pm, they pulled up to the Cokeville Elementary School and unloaded a gasoline bomb, along with four rifles and nine handguns. Guys like you have to go and search every corner. Vengeance for having been fired did not seem to have been the motive, but rather a philosophy recorded in journal entries referring to a Brave New World where he wanted to reign over intelligent children. Mark Junge: Okay. Unexplained Mysteries: Angel Files. Season 1, Episode 20. It became a story of a miracle rather than a tragedy. I actually created a website knowing that people would wonder what was real and what wasn't. Jessica Clark, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of history and political science at Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs, Wyo. All the hostages escaped, though 79 were hospitalized with burns and injuries. And, then, shortly after 4 p.m., the bomb exploded. This significantly mitigated the explosive power of the bomb. Rich Haskell: Yes, there was a briefcase in the hallway, and we were toldbefore I had gotten there they had gotten papers from his daughter. Following the explosion, 79 children were taken to area hospitals, most of which were located more than an hours drive from Cokeville, for treatment for burns and smoke inhalation. In 2006, the Cokeville Miracle Foundation compiled a book of recollections about the day from parents, emergency workers and former hostages. I mean, not everybody would do this. When I arrived I could see out on the lawn, there was a black object laying out on the grass. Had a gallon milk jug full of gasoline on one level, had aluminum powder, flour and those two components was in tuna fish cans directly under the gasoline bomb. The Wyoming History one may be the best. Mark Junge: We were worried, Sue and I, that people would take offence, right? The jug of gasoline had a pinhole-sized leak on its bottom. Flipboard. And that's where the bomb sat and that's where they sat. Story: Witness who ran toward marathon bomb 'saw bodies flying' "The death of any child shatters us all,'' Barnicle said. The miraculous events that followed have changed many people foreverespecially survivor Amy Bagaso Williams. Chalkboards andwhat do they call those?whiteboards, I think they are, along the walls. We're in a conference room here on the main floor. Returning to the scene, David shot his wife, a teacher, then himself. So if the state didn't pay him, he figured the Mormon church would pay him because the Mormon church has money also. Because of the tiles and the window? AN EXPLOSION of vapors, resultLing from a combination of circumstances at the Kearney, N. J., plant of the Koppers Coke Company, on May 17, 1948, resulted in the death of ten men and started a . Once all the hostages were contained in the first grade classroom, David Young informed them that they were leading a revolution and distributed copies of his philosophy Zero Equals Infinity to everyone present. First grade teacher Janel Dayton on the 1986 bombing of Cokeville Elementary School Published: November 8, 2014 Janel Dayton, Wyoming State Archives photo. According to survivor accounts, Doris enticed many into the first grade room by announcing that their presence was required for a school assembly. Rich Haskell: I am. The man and woman who took an elementary school here hostage Friday, injuring 70 children when their homemade gasoline bomb exploded, had ties to the Posse Comitatus and other white supremacist. By Deseret News. My name is Kamron Wixom, I was a 12 year old 6th grader in 1986 when a mad man took over my school (Cokeville Elementary) with a bomb and his guns. where there's only a limited population, that's going to throw the fear of God into everybody. No, we can't do this. For more information about our sponsors and the people behind WyoHistory.org, visit our About Us page: Hostage crisis at the elementary school in Cokeville, Wyo. It packed the brute force of twenty-five sticks of dynamite. On one hand people didn't want money to be made off of suffering, but on the other hand it felt ungrateful to not share it in the way that TC would or could. Also, how long was it before the kids started talking about seeing angels? On May 16, 1986, David Young, Cokeville's former town marshal, and his wife, Doris, carried five rifles, five handguns and a "dead man's bomb" into the elementary school. Mark Junge: That's a mighty powerful gun! Rich Haskell: I don't know the birthdates but I know the names. David and Doris Young took 167 hostages (150 children, 17 adults and one unlucky UPS driver) at the elementary school. Because in the bus, everything was solid in the school bus. Mark Junge: Do you still think about this? I'd like to think so. These are designed to just spread out the particles all over the air. Once the wooden piece was removed, the two metal connectors completed the circuit, detonating the bomb. Mark Junge: Which means you had to be doing over a hundred miles an hour! When the thing went off, when the bomb exploded, they just started chuckin' people out the windows. David had also sent a copy of the manifesto to Reagan. That dead-man switch is a piece of string that goes around your wrist and it's hooked into a clothespin, the other end of it. As I come to the junctionI'm sorry, I don't know what the road is that goes over to Bear Lakebut as I was passing that intersection, they did inform me that the bomb had exploded. He used to work in Cokeville. over there. 154 of us were held hostage for almost 3 hours in a 30x32 room when the bomb actually detonated - all 154 hostages survived. Mark Junge: Did you help bring the body out? She is a beautiful example of turning tragedy into triumph. Mark Junge: Where at? She has published several articles in peer-reviewed journals on the history and heritage of Germans from Russia on the Northern Plains. I did see the lighting had changed in the room, and it was right in the same timeline as everyone else's witness. After a stand-off lasting two and a half hours, the gasoline bomb the couple had brought into the school went off prematurely, badly burning Doris Young while David Young was out of the room. In their minds they could start another world. Reporters from all the regional news outlets were on the scene by the time of the explosion or shortly thereafter. I have no doubt about my friends witness testimonies - even though I saw or heard nothing such as they did. She acknowledges these students for assisting her in researching her contributions to the WyoHistory.org web site. Two Powell residents, Lenita Moore (a science teacher at Powell High School) and John Miller (a longtime choir director at Powell High School who retired in 2020), remember being in Cokeville during the bombing. Don't go past this square. Mark Junge: In fact, didn't you say you burned up your engine? Im living proof.. 96 views, 2 likes, 0 loves, 0 comments, 2 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from J.Cano: Law & Order: SVU - Best Episode [8] This unintentionally activated the triggering mechanism and the bomb exploded, severely injuring Doris, and filling the room with black smoke and pockets of fire. I can understand that. The blasting cap in the gasoline jug functioned properly, initiating the explosion. You know something about bombs. I went from within two feet of the bomb to right near the door within ten minutes before the bomb went off. You could walk across the street and get run over as far as that's concerned, but I don't know if my wife has any more gray hairs because I've chosen this profession. Cokeville Elementary School hostage crisis, "Radical Right Link Suggested in Hostage Case", "Cokeville Elementary School Bombing | WyoHistory.org", "Couple take over school but die after bomb blast", "Couple in School Blast Linked to Extremist Group", "Certified Bomb Technician Rich Haskell on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School | WyoHistory.org", "Lead Investigator Ron Hartley, Father of Four Student Survivors, on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School | WyoHistory.org", "Secretary Tina Cook on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School | WyoHistory.org", "A projectile killed Dorris Young, not bomb blast, police in Cokeville say", "In 1986, 154 children and teachers survived the bombing of Cokeville Elementary School", "Emergency Management Coordinator Kathy Davison on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School | WyoHistory.org", University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Liberty Point International Middle School, Central Visual and Performing Arts High School, "'No Way to Prevent This', Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens", List of school shootings in the United States by death toll, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cokeville_Elementary_School_hostage_crisis&oldid=1139490391, Improvised explosive device bombings in the United States, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 15 February 2023, at 11:55. Rich Haskell: Yes. Mark Junge: You had some bullets in the ceiling that you had to investigate, too. The wire was cut. What did you find out about them? So I went to Huntsville, Ala., to Redstone Arsenal. For me, what has impressed me about the film is not necessarily the story of Angels (which are remarkable), but that the majority of the 154 hostages chose to see God's hand in their lives that day. Rich Haskell: Yes. He was in high fevers until the therapist allowed him to speak openly. She was a total torch! David Young was the only police officer in Cokeville for six months in 1979. Mark Junge: They don't want it brought up again. She has published several articles in peer-reviewed journals on the history and heritage of Germans from Russia on the Northern Plains. [5][10][8], When the bomb detonated, the majority of the explosive force was channeled through loose ceiling tiles into the roof, and open windows acting as vents. Cokeville had so little crime that many folks didn't bother to lock their doors. Mark Junge: With bombs? Family is the most important thing in a Mormon family. Rich Haskell: You know, with 33 years of law enforcement, I've seen a lot of things.

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