Erik Pavlik, a recent graduate of Chardon High School, stared at the TV in disbelief after hearing the word that five of his former classmates had been shot at Chardon High School.

“It’s unexpected in a town like this. It’s so tightly knit,” said Pavlick. “Everybody is in everybody’s business. One of the victims is my cousin, by marriage. I’m concerned about him…but understand he’s doing better than he was.”

Pavlick said he found how big and simultaneously small the world can be. By the time he had driven home the forty miles north from Kent State University, where he is a freshman majoring in criminology, his mother had received a call from France. The caller was a former exchange student who lived with his family and saw the news of the Chardon shooting on the internet.

When Pavlick learned that his old football coach, Frank Hall, was one of the big stories, he was not surprised. Hall was the teacher presumed to have chased the gunman from Chardon High School before the bullets fired from his .22 caliber could strike anyone else. Pavlick says that without the heroic intervention of Hall many more could have been harmed.

Tragedy unfolds via Twitter
Within minutes of the shooting, the first Tweets and cell phone images told the story of what began in the high school cafeteria shortly after 7:30 a.m. The media proceeded to flood the town of about 5,000. By 4:00 Monday afternoon, the TV satellite trucks from Pittsburgh to Columbus and TV crews from Erie, PA to Chicago, and networks were well in place.

Pavlick and hundreds of others from the Chardon community had to peer over and around dozens of TV tripods as the Geauga County sheriff, Chardon police chief, and an FBI spokesman sketched out what they knew: one gunman acting alone was swiftly apprehended after leaving the school; students dead and critically wounded. Quick action by police and heroism by others kept the tragedy from being even greater.

Taking time
Chardon’s school superintendent Joe Bergant also spoke.  “We want our teachers, our faculty, and staff—except for about five maintenance workers in case we need access to the building—to stay home tomorrow, and reflect on family. And any parents out there who haven’t hugged or kissed your kids lately. Take the time to do that.”

Officials were not identifying the gunman, though word was well out by then that the suspect was TJ Lane, a 17-year-old student at an alternative school whom some called sweet and others, troubled. Officials would not yet release the voluminous 911 tapes with calls for help. They announced that the community would hold a memorial service tonight at the church across the street from the high school-middle school complex.