Thread: North Carolina School Shooting Suspect

Thursday , August 31, 2006


HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. — As Alvaro Rafael Castillo was led to jail, accused of injuring two students when he opened fire at a high school, he was asked by journalists for his reason.

"Columbine. Remember Columbine," he said.

The 19-year-old was arrested Wednesday in front of Orange High School. Upon being taken into custody, he told deputies he had murdered his father, authorities said.

Castillo was scheduled to make a court appearance Thursday.

While the shooting was not as horrific as the 1999 Columbine High School shootings, deputies found ammunition, weapons and homemade pipe bombs in Castillo's van, Sheriff Lindy Pendergrass said.

Castillo also confessed to killing his father, Rafael Huezo Castillo, Pendergrass said in a statement. Deputies who later forced their way into the family's home, at the end of a private dirt-and-gravel road in northern Orange County, found the father had been shot to death, although it was not known when the killing took place.

While he was being led to jail, Castillo was asked why he killed his father.

"Sacrifice. The world is cruel," he said. "We all have to sacrifice. Somebody had to put him out of his misery. He abused all of us."

A school district spokeswoman, Anne D'Annunzio, said one of the injured students, a girl, was grazed on the shoulder, while a boy was struck by shattered glass.

Students were temporarily barred from leaving both the high school and nearby C.W. Stanford Middle School for their safety, D'Annunzio said.

Denning Best, a high school freshman, was in the cafeteria. "I saw people running away and all the teachers were telling us it was a lockdown," she said. "It was a little bit freaky."

The owner of the property on which the Castillo home is located refused to allow reporters access to the private road on Wednesday evening. The home is located amid a mix of horse farms, trailer parks and modest homes.

Tanya Horne, standing across the street from the road to the Castillo home, said she didn't know either father or son but had lived in the area most of her life and described it as "very quiet."

"We have fallen asleep with our door open," she said. "Nobody bothers you."

http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly ... 03,00.html

When I first heard this on the radio yesterday, my first thought was, I bet the guy turns out to be an illegal alien. At that time, details were still coming in and no name was given. Of course it's not mentioned in the above story, but does anyone know if the guy is an illegal alien?

I don't know if he's illegal or not. But chances are, if he isn't, he's an anchor baby.
Nineteen? Hmmm. Was he even a student.
Hillsboro used to be one of my favorite little towns in NC. The world is going mad!

http://www.wral.com/news/9769067/detail.html

Castillo's mother and younger sister, who is a student at Orange High and was at school during the shooting, cried in the courtroom Thursday morning as the charges against their son and brother were detailed.

The family moved to Orange County just four years ago from Spain, said neighbors, who described Alvaro Castillo as quiet and mild-mannered. His father was a custodian for Durham Public Schools who worked at Southwest Elementary School for three years and was to work at Oak Grove Elementary School this year, officials said.

Authorities said in court that they believe Alvaro Castillo planned the school shooting for some time and premeditated his father's slaying.

A graduate of Orange High, Castillo told authorities he has been obsessed for years with the April 1999 school shooting in Columbine, Colo. A pair of teen gunmen killed 12 students and a teacher before taking their own lives in that case.

Castillo was wearing a T-shirt with the phrase "Remember Columbine" when he was arrested outside the high school, and he kept repeating the phrase Wednesday night when he was taken to jail.

North Carolina National Guard officials said Thursday that Castillo was a private for the Army National Guard who never completed basic training before officials determined he was medically unqualified for military service. He was considered a trainee and was never deployed for service, officials said.

No information was provided on what medical condition caused him to be discharged from service.

From SPAIN???????? When did we start importing immigrants from Spain and why?

I thought the name sounded Spanish, rather than Latino. Castillo is a traditional Spanish name, I think maybe of a noble bloodline. But, he could still be an illegal alien from Spain. They'll probably never admit it, if he is.

or he may just CLAIM to be from Spain to the news reporters who can't force him to verify anything. Especially since his own kid killed him! In any event, the murdering thug needs to be locked up permanently if not sentenced to death.