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Moses Lake School Shooting....10 Years Later

10:29 PM Thu, Feb 02, 2006 |

It was the first in a series of school shootings across the country. This week we caught up with several people in and around Moses Lake whose lives were changed 10 years ago, when Barry Loukaitis opened fire inside Frontier Middle School. We talked to Alice Fritz, whose son Arnie died that day, Natalie Hintz (now Natalie Snyder), who nearly died, and Jon Lane, the man who stopped the rampage.

Alice Fritz, Natalie Snyder, and Jon Lane all seemed somewhat reluctant to talk about the school shooting again. They've each done numerous interviews over the years. Both Alice and Natalie said ours would be the last. They spoke about national network interviews they've granted, in which a producer tried to get them to read a script, twist the truth, and make the situation more dramatic and sensational. They seemed relieved that we were just there to catch up and see how they're doing.

The families had already met Al Lozano, the KREM photographer I worked with this week. He was there on February 2, 1996, when the shooting happened. He and another reporter were already in Moses Lake on another story when they heard of the shooting at Frontier Middle School.

Ten years and several surgeries later, Natalie has learned to work with one hand. She showed us how fast she can type with just her left hand. She's also married and has two daughters. Her family is still very close with Alice Fritz, who moved from Moses Lake to Spokane after the shooting. She was working in the school district and said she felt like too much of a constant reminder of the shooting. Alice developed a strong relationship with her son's best friend, Shea. He came to Spokane from his studies in China to be with Alice this week.

What we found most remarkable is what the two women are doing now. Alice works for Pinnacle Investigations, which investigated the shooting. She also talks to students, teachers, and administrators about improving school safety and helping troubled kids. She considers Barry Loukaitis a troubled kid who was looking for help. Natalie is working as a tutor in Frontier Middle School, something she says has provided some closure for her.




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