by Sara-Jessica Dilks

Several STA and Rockhurst cross country runners were shot by plastic airsoft pellets while training on Ward Parkway Sept. 11, according to athletic director Mark Hough. None of the injuries “[broke] the skin, but were still a concern,” Hough said.

It was later discovered that two Rockhurst juniors were involved in the incident. While one Rockhurst student drove a car, another fired a pellet gun, according to one of the juniors in the car, who wished to remain anonymous. He said that he and the other boy were “asked to leave” the school permanently by Rockhurst administration.

According to a Rockhurst sophomore cross country runner (who wished to remain anonymous because his team requested that he not talk to the Dart), members of the Rockhurst cross country team “reported [the incident] to Coach [Michael] Dierks.” This happened after “the second day [the juniors] had shot the airsoft guns at the runners.” St. Teresa’s and Rockhurst runners confirmed that the incident occurred while they trained on the Ward Parkway median, and that the shooters fired from the open windows of a moving car.

Airsoft guns are replica firearms that fire tiny plastic pellets by means of compressed air or spring power, and are designed to be non-lethal, according to The Code of Federal Regulations. They are legal for all ages in most of the United States as long as they have an orange plastic tip to indicate that it is not a real firearm.

The Rockhurst sophomore runner said all the injuries were minor, the majority consisting of “tiny red marks, but definitely no bruising.”

Soon after being notified that STA runners had been shot, Hough said that he warned neighboring schools whose cross country teams also train in the Brookside and Ward Parkway area. Hough said he was told by Rockhurst athletic director Pete Campbell that “they were taking care of [the issue],” and punishment for the shooters would range from “suspension to expulsion.”

When contacted by phone, Rockhurst administration members including dean of students David Alvey declined to comment because the school did not wish to reveal their disciplinary policies. Other Rockhurst administrators, when contacted by phone, declined to comment also.

According to Hough, the reason for his quick action was to avoid potential recurrence.

“Anytime you have something [involving shooting] going on, it’s one step away from being a disaster.”

St. Teresa’s senior cross country runner Serenity Wallace said she got a brief glance of the two boys driving past the team shortly after she was hit.

“I thought something was kicked up off the ground   because it hit me,” Wallace said. “But then I was like ‘Did you guys [her teammates] just throw something at me?’”

According to a junior Rockhurst cross country runner, hearing that the juniors were dismissed for their actions was “a big shock” to most people. However, he understands the logic behind the “pretty severe” punishment.

“They’re getting in trouble with another school and also with the law,” the Rockhurst junior said. “If it was only Rockhurst students [that they were targeting], I don’t think it would be such a big deal.”

Additionally, the Rockhurst junior believes the intentions behind the incident were harmless.

“My first reaction was like ‘Haaa-ha! That’s hilarious!’” the Rockhurst junior said. “But I mean, most people were just thinking ‘Why would they do that?’ Do ya feel me? I think that [shooting the airsoft guns] was intended as a joke. They weren’t trying to harm anyone.”

Other students, including the anonymous sophomore, also disagreed with the rumored punishment, pointing out that the consequence was “unexpected” and unjust.

“In the rule book or whatever, it never says that you’ll get kicked out for shooting someone with a toy gun,” said the sophomore runner.

Bringing a weapon to school results in an automatic dismissal, according to the Rockhurst High School 2012-2013 Student/Parent Handbook. The guidebook also states that students may be immediately dismissed if they are “endangering, or threatening to endanger, oneself or others.”

One of the juniors who was dismissed from Rockhurst agreed to be interviewed for the Dart on the condition that he would remain anonymous. He said that he never had the intention to hurt anyone. Additionally, he did not consider that his actions could result in such a severe punishment.

“We were just driving down Ward Parkway and saw the runners,” the dismissed junior said. “It wasn’t even that we were trying to be funny or something. It was just us messing around. It wasn’t something that I thought we’d get in trouble for.”

According to the dismissed junior, although he was involved with the incident, he did not physically partake in shooting anyone because he was driving. As a result, the dismissal “was really shocking” to him.

“I was called down to the office, and I asked [the administration] how much trouble I would be in, thinking that they were gonna give me three detentions or something,” the dismissed junior said. “But, it turned out that they asked me to leave.”

Looking back on the situation, the dismissed junior has mixed feelings.

“I think it was definitely a severe punishment, but I can understand why they made the decision,” he said. “I do regret [my involvement]. But it’s not like I can really do anything now.”