A week after the shooting at Episcopal School, the question remains: Why did Shane Schumerth kill Dale Regan and himself?
For the first time, we're getting a little more insight into the man who pulled the trigger straight from his own family.
"Which Shane Schumerth are we talking about?" is one of the biggest questions posed about the former Episcopal Spanish teacher who shot and killed the head of school last week.
In a piece written for the Florida Times-Union, Chris Schumerth, Shane's brother, talks of a 4.0 student in high school who traveled to Spain in college and looked out for his family. Chris says Shane would drive hours out of his way without question to pick up their little brother from college on breaks. Another instance details a night in which Shane called his sister on the hour throughout the night because she was working on a paper, and he wanted to make sure she was making progress.
Unfortunately, there was another side to Shane, who also suffered from "deeply-rooted" depression, anxiety, and paranoia. He reportedly went to counseling sessions, but never made it past the second visit because he had issues connecting with people. Those who knew him might have surmised that there was something a bit off about Shane, but likely never would have imagined the degree to which he was sick.
The piece goes on to say that throughout his life, Shane always tried to better his situation. In the months before the shooting, Shane had enrolled in acting classes to improve his confidence. A candid video taken about a month before the shooting depicts Shane auditioning for a film, talking about his teaching and acting experience.
His brother says Shane fell out of touch with his family in the final months before Episcopal. His calls became less frequent, and he started to accuse his family of being part of a conspiracy against him. Eventually, Chris says, it was very difficult to even start a contextual conversation with Shane. Despite all this, there were never signs of violent tendencides throughout his life. Schumerth's brother ends the article talking of one man in Jacksonville who described Shane as a "sick man trying to get well" instead of a "bad man trying to be good."
To read the full story Chris Schumer wrote, courtesy of the Florida Times-Union, click here.
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