Jun 10, 2009 10:49 pm US/Central
Robbinsdale Kids At Holocaust Museum During Attack
WASHINGTON (WCCO) ―
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Thirty-nine middle school students from the Robbinsdale Public Schools were touring the U.S. Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. when a gunman opened fire.
CBS
Dozens of Minnesota middle school students are continuing with their trip to Washington, D.C. after a historic day they won't forget.
Seven adults and 39 students from the Robbinsdale School District were inside the Holocaust Memorial Museum Wednesday afternoon when a man with a rifle shot and killed a security guard.
Anthony Wessel's son, Ian, is one of those students.
"I had a friend who called us and told us that there had been a shooting at the Holocaust Museum and he was wondering if our son was there," Wessel said.
Ian Wessel was with a group of children from Sandberg and Plymouth Middle Schools when the shooting happened. Two floors separated the students from the violence.
Police say James Van Brunn stepped inside the door and started shooting one guard before two other guards shot him.
That guard, Stephen Tyrone Johns, died at a nearby hospital.
The Minnesota students didn't hear or see anything, but many other school groups from across the country did.
"I heard five sharp noises and just like faint screaming in the background," recalled Tyler Frank from Chicago.
The large crowd was evacuated and the children from Minnesota called home.
"It's a great teaching moment on what good can be in the world and what bad can be in the world," said Wessel.
The students continued with their scheduled stops in Washington, D.C. They will be back in Minnesota on Friday night. Counselors will be available for them if they want to talk more about what happened.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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