Nation: It Was Monday

The explanation was incredibly casual. “I don’t like Mondays,” Brenda Spencer, 16, told reporters by telephone as she held off San Diego police for six hours. But who was she trying to kill as she repeatedly fired a .22-cal. rifle at Cleveland Elementary School from her home across the street? “No one in particular. I kind of like the red and blue jackets.”

While Brenda chatted on the telephone, the terrified pupils and teachers huddled on the floor of the bullet-sprayed school. Principal Burton Wragg and Custodian Michael Suchar were both slain by the gunfire at the school’s front yard. Eight children and one police officer were wounded. After hours of futile attempts to get Brenda to surrender, she finally decided it was time to end what she had called “fun.” She calmly walked out of the house, put her gun on the ground, went back inside and returned to hand rushing officers some 150 rounds of ammunition.

Next day teachers at the school encouraged their students to talk about the tragedy as a way to relieve their tensions over the traumatic event. “Why did she do it?” asked an eight-year-old boy. Unfortunately, no one in authority could answer that question.