Charles Carl Roberts IV and the 2006 West Nickel Mines School Shooting
Background
On October 2, 2006, 32-year-old milk-truck driver Charles Carl Roberts IV entered the West Nickel Mines School, a one-room Amish schoolhouse in the village of Nickel Mines, Bart Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. He was armed with a 9mm handgun, a 12-gauge shotgun, and other equipment, and he targeted only the girls present in the classroom. He forced the boys, a few adults, and mothers with infants to leave, then took the remaining girls hostage.
The Attack (October 2, 2006)
Police were alerted around mid-morning. As troopers converged on the scene and attempted negotiations, Roberts bound the girls and prepared for a standoff. Moments later, he opened fire, shooting ten girls (ages 6–13). Five died that day from their wounds; Roberts then killed himself as officers breached the schoolhouse. The one-room school was later demolished, and classes eventually resumed in a new building at another location.
Victims (Names, Ages, Date, Location)
- Marian Fisher, 13 — fatally shot on October 2, 2006 at the West Nickel Mines School, Nickel Mines, Bart Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
- Naomi Rose Ebersole, 7 — fatally shot on October 2, 2006 at the West Nickel Mines School, Nickel Mines, Bart Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
- Mary Liz Miller, 8 — fatally shot on October 2, 2006 at the West Nickel Mines School, Nickel Mines, Bart Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
- Lena Miller, 7 — fatally shot on October 2, 2006 at the West Nickel Mines School, Nickel Mines, Bart Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
- Anna Mae Stoltzfus, 12 — fatally shot on October 2, 2006 at the West Nickel Mines School, Nickel Mines, Bart Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
- Rosanna S. King, 6 at the time — critically wounded on October 2, 2006 at the same location; survived with severe injuries for years and died in September 2024 from complications.
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