Shots fired at school board meeting

Man douses 2 with gasoline, opens fire with assault-style rifle

ASSOCIATED PRESS

CHARLESTON, W.Va., July 18 — Audience members attending a school board meeting Thursday were credited with thwarting an attack by a maintenance worker who doused two people with gasoline and shot another with an assault-style rifle.

ONE WOMAN was wounded in the attack Thursday night but her injuries were not life-threatening, police said. Onlookers grabbed the man before he could take aim, witnesses said.

“Their quick action really did help prevent fatalities tonight,” school board member John Luoni said.

Richard Dean “Rusty” Bright, 58, who had been on sick leave, arrived about 10 minutes into the Kanawha County Board of Education’s meeting with three large buckets of gasoline and a Chinese-made SKS rifle under an overcoat, witnesses said.

Luoni said Bright placed the buckets on a table and then splashed maintenance supervisor Jeffery A. Allred and Karen Williams, a personnel department official.

Bright appeared to try to ignite the gas, then pulled out the rifle, witnesses said. Luoni said Bright fired several shots, but was unable to take aim before onlookers subdued him.