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Hometown school shooting stuns soldier

From his U.S. Army post in “the center of chaos” in Iraq this spring, 26- year-old Jake Schmidt was stunned to learn of the school shooting back home in Red Lake, Minnesota.

“These things just don’t happen this close to home,” Schmidt said, referring to 16-year-old Jeff Weise’s March 22 rampage at Red Lake High School.

Weise murdered nine people, including his grandfather, his grandfather’s girlfriend, five fellow students, a teacher and a school security guard before turning the gun on himself. He left 14 other students wounded.

“I’m used to seeing things like this on the news and seeing a school I don’t recognize behind the reporter,” said Schmidt.  – By Alkhansa El-Bedawi