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While Bartell lay sedated at St. Cloud Hospital on Friday, the state attorney general's office filed a second-degree murder charge against 15-year-old Jason McLaughlin, according to the boy's attorney, Dan Eller. The boy's appearance in juvenile court on Friday was closed because of his age.
Eller said prosecutors filed papers seeking to move the case to adult court, which Eller said he would oppose. Eller said McLaughlin faced other charges, but he did not detail them. A spokeswoman for the attorney general's office said because of McLaughlin's age she could not confirm the charges or the move to try McLaughlin as an adult. His next court date has not been set.
Eller said Mclaughlin has been "overwhelmed'' by the ramifications of the shootings. "It's just difficult for him to understand how it happened,'' Eller said.
McLaughlin is the son of David and Mary McLaughlin; David McLaughlin is a Stearns County sheriff's deputy and leader of the Central Minnesota Drug Task Force. In a statement issued through Eller, the McLaughlins offered "our deepest sympathy to everyone involved in this terrible tragedy.''
"The devastation that has been caused is irreparable,'' they said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Seth's family and Aaron's family. The support shown by the community has been overwhelming. Although there are no answers, we ask that you continue to pray for Aaron, Seth and Jason.''
McLaughlin's parents are "as crushed about this as anybody else,'' Eller said.
The Bartells also issued a statement, expressing thanks for community support and also sympathy for the McLaughlins: "We are so sorry for all they have gone through.''
A stuffed bear riding a tree swing makes a cheerful sight at the start of the hallway near Bartell's room in the pediatric intensive care unit. Inside, his bed props him up to help keep the swelling in his skull down, said Dr. Dan Whitlock, who spoke on behalf of the Bartells. A catheter in his head monitors the swelling caused by the wound.
He has been able to move his arms and legs, but remains sedated, said Bartell's doctor, Patricia Scherrer. She said the boy has a severe head and brain injury "that has threatened his life and creates concerns for his future.'' She said it's too soon to predict how much damage the bullet did, or how long it might take him to recover.
Whitlock said the boy's family is in great pain.
"At the same time, they are encouraged by Seth's strong will to live,'' Whitlock said.
Friday morning, students in Cold Spring returned to Rocori for classes for the first time since the shootings. Dozens of adults lined the long sidewalk leading into the high school and applauded.
"They're trying to reach out to the kids,'' Ryan Gort, 34, of Cold Spring, said of the more than 70 adults who stood with him about 7:30 a.m. "We missed one and we don't want to miss any more.''
The students filed past a banner by the front door of the school, on which someone had written in black letters, "Aaron we'll miss you.'' Flowers stood at its base. A photo of each of the victims was attached to posterboard and sat nearby.
Several students said they appreciated the show of support and unity.
"I think we are coming closer together,'' said Elizabeth Kinzer, 17, a senior from Rockville. "I think the picking on people will stop and I think we'll all become closer.''
Brent Gregory, 17, a senior from Richmond, agreed.
"This is just what the community needed,'' he said. "Our class needed to pull together. They always say that God has a plan for everything. I think this was it — to pull everybody together.''
Gov. Tim Pawlenty ordered Minnesota flags to be flown at half staff at schools Monday and asked schools to observe a moment of silence.
"Our hearts go out to the families and friends of all those involved in this tragedy — and to the Cold Spring community,'' the governor said in a prepared statement.
Authorities say McLaughlin initially shot the two boys in a hallway outside the weight room with a .22-caliber pistol, one from a range of about 10 feet and the other from about 50 feet. Rollins, hit once in the neck, was left bleeding. Bartell was hit superficially in the chest and made it up a flight of stairs into the gym; his attacker followed, caught him and shot him in the forehead.
It wasn't clear whether McLaughlin knew the two victims, and authorities refused to identify a motive or speculate whether both victims were intentional. Superintendent Scott Staska noted that McLaughlin and Bartell had been in the same grade in the small school district "for some time.'' Some students who knew McLaughlin said he was the subject of teasing, in part because of severe acne.
However, a number of students interviewed since the shooting said they were unaware of any animosity between the two freshmen.
The Rocori district serves about 2,300 students from the central Minnesota towns of Rockville, Cold Spring and Richmond, about 60 miles northwest of the Twin Cities.
Memorial services for Aaron Rollins will be held at 11:30 a.m. Monday at St. Boniface Catholic Church in Cold Spring, with burial in the parish cemetery. Friends may call after 4 p.m. Sunday and from 9 to 11 a.m. Monday at St. Boniface Church.
Donations to the Aaron Rollins Memorial Fund can be sent to: State Bank of Cold Spring, Box 415, Cold Spring, MN 56320; First National Bank of Cold Spring, Box 416, Cold Spring; and Wenner Funeral Home, 600 Red River Ave. S, Cold Spring.
Joshua Freed can be reached at jfreed(at)ap.org
