When people search for "who was the Minnesota school shooter," they usually aren't looking for one single name. They’re often looking for a specific face they remember from a grainy news broadcast or a tragedy that changed how their local high school handles security. Minnesota has seen its share of heartbreak, but two names stand out more than any others: Jeff Weise and John Jason McLaughlin.
These weren't just "incidents." They were moments that stopped time in the North Star State.
Honestly, it’s kinda weird how we remember these things. We remember the vests, the squad cars, and the terrified phone calls, but the actual humans behind the triggers get blurred into one "shooter" archetype. If you're trying to figure out which one is which, or what actually led to those days, you've gotta look at the specific details of Red Lake and Cold Spring.
The Red Lake Tragedy: Who was Jeff Weise?
In March 2005, the Red Lake Indian Reservation was hit by a level of violence that most people can't even fathom. Jeff Weise, a 16-year-old student, did something that still feels like a movie plot, only way more horrific. He didn't just walk into a school; he waged a small-scale war.
Weise started his day by killing his own grandfather, Daryl Lussier, who was a veteran tribal police officer. He also killed his grandfather's companion, Michelle Sigana.
Then, he took his grandfather’s police gear.
He put on the bulletproof vest. He strapped on the duty belt. He took the Glock 22, the Remington shotgun, and the Ruger. Then—and this is the part that still haunts people—he drove his grandfather’s marked police squad car right up to the front doors of Red Lake Senior High School.
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A Cold-Blooded Timeline
Weise wasn't some erratic, panicking kid once he got there. He was, according to witnesses and FBI reports, "hypoemotional." Basically, he was cold. He shot and killed Derrick Brun, an unarmed security guard who tried to stop him. Brun is a hero; people say he saved dozens of lives by standing his ground for those few extra seconds.
Inside the school, it was chaos. Weise wandered the halls, even asking students if they believed in God. If they said yes or hesitated, he fired. He killed five students and a teacher, Neva Rogers, before the police finally pinned him down. After a shootout with the cops, he retreated into a classroom and took his own life.
The Background Nobody Talks About
People want to know why. With Weise, the "why" is a messy pile of trauma. His father had committed suicide years earlier. His mother had suffered a severe brain injury in a car accident and lived in a nursing home. He was a kid who spent a lot of time on neo-Nazi forums, calling himself "Todesengel" (Angel of Death).
He felt like an outsider in his own community. He was tall, wore black trench coats, and was often teased. It doesn't excuse a single thing he did, but it paints a picture of a kid who was drowning in isolation long before he ever picked up a gun.
The Rocori High School Shooting: John Jason McLaughlin
Two years before Red Lake, there was Cold Spring. On September 24, 2003, a 15-year-old freshman named John Jason McLaughlin brought a .22-caliber Colt pistol to Rocori High School.
This wasn't a "rampage" in the same way Red Lake was. It was targeted. It was personal.
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McLaughlin walked into the locker room area and shot Seth Bartell, who was only 14. He also hit Aaron Rollins, a 17-year-old senior. Rollins died almost instantly. Bartell fought for his life for 16 days before passing away in the hospital.
The "Bullying" Defense
During the trial, the big debate was about bullying. McLaughlin claimed Bartell had teased him relentlessly about his acne. He said he just wanted to "scare" him. But the prosecution pointed to his own writings, where he’d described himself as a "sniper" and planned the shooting days in advance.
The legal battle was intense. His lawyers tried to use a mental illness defense, but the judge wasn't having it. He was sentenced to life in prison.
Where is he now?
As of 2026, McLaughlin is still behind bars. He’s spent his entire adult life in the Minnesota Correctional Facility system. He won't even be eligible for parole until 2038. By then, he’ll be 50 years old.
What Most People Get Wrong About These Cases
There's this idea that these shooters just "snapped."
In reality, if you look at the evidence from both Red Lake and Rocori, there was a massive amount of leakage. That’s the term experts use when a person starts "leaking" their intentions to others. Weise had been cleared after a threat investigation a year prior. McLaughlin had told people he was going to "shoot some people."
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- Myth: It happened out of nowhere.
- Fact: Both shooters showed signs of pre-planning and preoccupation with violence.
- Myth: They were just "crazy."
- Fact: Court psychologists in the McLaughlin case were split—some saw schizophrenia, others saw depression and personality disorders, but the legal system found him sane enough to plan a murder.
Why These Names Still Matter
We talk about the "Minnesota school shooter" because these events changed how we live. After Red Lake, school security changed forever in rural Minnesota. We started seeing more school resource officers (SROs), more metal detectors, and those "secure vestibule" entrances that every kid has to walk through now.
It also changed how police respond. Before these shootings, the old "Columbine protocol" was to wait for SWAT. Now, the first officer on the scene goes in. They don't wait. That shift in tactics likely saved lives during subsequent incidents across the country.
Practical Steps for Parents and Educators
If you're reading this because you're worried about your own school or community, the best thing you can do isn't buying a better lock. It’s focusing on the "pre-attack" phase.
- Watch for Leakage: Most school shooters tell at least one person about their plans before they act. If a student is "joking" about a hit list or a shooting, it’s not a joke. It’s a reportable event.
- Support Mental Health Infrastructure: In the Red Lake case, the isolation was extreme. Schools with robust counseling programs and "connectedness" initiatives have lower rates of all kinds of violence.
- Know the Resources: Minnesota has the "See It, Say It, Send It" app and various tip lines. Use them. Anonymous reporting works because it removes the fear of being a "snitch."
The history of Minnesota school shooters is a dark one, but it’s a history that has taught the state some incredibly hard lessons. We can't change what happened in the halls of Red Lake or Rocori, but we can sure as hell make sure we’re paying attention to the kids who feel like they have nowhere else to turn.
Check your local school district's safety plan. Most districts now have their emergency procedures posted online. Familiarizing yourself with the "Run, Hide, Fight" protocol and your school's specific reunification site is the most proactive thing you can do today.