SCHOOL HORROR
Suicidal hub kills teach wife - and boy, 8
A lovers’ quarrel turned deadly Monday when a man opened fire on his wife in a San Bernardino, Calif., elementary-school classroom, killing her and an 8-year-old special-needs pupil who was cowering behind her, police said.
Cedric Anderson, 53, entered the North Park Elementary School at around 10:30 a.m. and fatally shot his estranged wife Karen, Elaine Smith, 53, a teacher, with a large-caliber revolver, and struck two children behind her before killing himself, officials said.
The 8-year-old, Johnathan Martinez, died after he was airlifted to Loma Linda Medical Center.
The other child, age 9, was in stable condition at the same hospital. His identity was withheld pending family notification.
Anderson had told the school office he was there “to drop something off with his wife,” Police Chief Jarrod Burguan said.
“He came in, and very, very quickly upon entering the classroom started shooting . . . [His wife] was specifically targeted.”
Anderson fired more than six shots, stopping once to reload.
“The students were behind the teacher when the suspect shot his wife. As a result of being behind her, they were hit,” Burguan said.
He said the couple were married only a few months and were estranged for a month. He also noted Anderson had a history of domestic violence and weapon and drug raps.
Anderson had described his wife as “an angel” on social media and posted smiling selfies of them together.
In a video posted online in February, he chuckled and said, “What I love about my wife — she knows when to ignore me. That’s what makes a happy marriage.”
Burguan said there were two teacher’s aides in the specialneeds classroom, which held 15 students in grades 1 through 4.
San Bernardino City Unified School District Superintendent Dale Marsden called the shooting “an absolute tragic event” and had a message for school parents.
“I would like you to please work with your young child to keep things as normal as possible, to be willing to listen to their story and be willing to listen to their story multiple times,” he said. “Reassure them the danger they faced is passed.”
Students from the school were taken to nearby Cajon HS. Police don’t expect North Park to be open for at least two more days.
San Bernardino Mayor Carey Davis also addressed parents.
“I want the parents and teachers of North Park Elementary to know of my concern for their health and their welfare and their safety,” he said.
Davis said the White House called him to say President Trump was aware of the shooting.
The school is just 10 miles from the center where husband-andwife terrorists Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik opened fire at a holiday party, killing 14, in 2015.