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1998 Thurston High School Shooting

SOLVED1998Thurston High School, Springfield, Oregon, United States3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Kip Kinkel
Kip Kinkel — Credit: United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota · Public domain

On May 20, 1998, Kip Kinkel, a 15-year-old freshman at Thurston High School in Springfield, Oregon, was suspended after school officials discovered he was keeping a stolen, loaded handgun in his locker. He was arrested, released to his father, and warned he might be sent to military school. According to his later taped confession, Kinkel shot his father once in the back of the head in the family kitchen that afternoon, then shot his mother six times when she returned home that evening. He covered both bodies with sheets and left a note describing his fear of the consequences of his felony arrest as well as references to hearing violent "voices" in his head.

The next morning, May 21, 1998, Kinkel drove his mother's Ford Explorer to Thurston High School, wearing a trench coat that concealed a semi-automatic rifle, two pistols, and two hunting knives, along with more than 1,100 rounds of ammunition. He opened fire in a patio area, fatally wounding 16-year-old Ben Walker, then continued into the cafeteria, where he fired 48 rounds from his rifle, killing 17-year-old Mikael Nickolauson and wounding 24 other students. In total, Kinkel fired 51 rounds, 37 of which struck students. When his rifle emptied, student Jacob Ryker and several classmates tackled and restrained him; Kinkel fired one more shot from a pistol, further wounding Ryker and another student, before being disarmed. He was arrested by responding police and, in custody, attacked an officer with a knife while asking to be shot, before being subdued with pepper spray.

Kinkel had a documented history of escalating troubling behavior, an interest in weapons and explosives, and had been diagnosed with major depressive disorder prior to the shooting; he was later also diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. On September 24, 1999, three days before jury selection was to begin, Kinkel pleaded guilty to murder and attempted murder, forgoing an insanity defense. On November 11, 1999, he was sentenced to more than 111 years in prison without the possibility of parole. He apologized to the court for both the killing of his parents and the school shooting.

Kinkel later sought a new trial and appealed his sentence, arguing ineffective assistance of counsel and challenging his effective life sentence; Oregon courts denied these efforts, including a January 2011 ruling by the Oregon Court of Appeals affirming the trial court's judgment. He remains incarcerated at the Oregon State Correctional Institution in Salem, Oregon, where he takes antipsychotic medication for paranoid schizophrenia and continues to seek parole.

The shooting drew national attention as part of a series of school shootings in the prior year and prompted a visit from President Bill Clinton to the school the following month. A permanent memorial to the two students killed was dedicated at the school in 2003.

Key facts

Victims
Mikael Nickolauson, Ben Walker, Faith Kinkel, Anthony W. Case, Jacob Ryker, William Kinkel
Date
1998
Location
Thurston High School, Springfield, Oregon, United States
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1998-05-20

    Kip Kinkel is suspended from Thurston High School after a stolen, loaded handgun is found in his locker; he is arrested and released to his father.

  2. 1998-05-20

    Kinkel fatally shoots his father, William Kinkel, at the family home in the afternoon, and his mother, Faith Kinkel, that evening.

  3. 1998-05-21

    Kinkel opens fire at Thurston High School in Springfield, Oregon, killing students Ben Walker and Mikael Nickolauson and wounding 25 others before being subdued by classmates and arrested.

  4. 1998-06

    President Bill Clinton speaks at Thurston High School regarding the shooting.

  5. 1999-09-24

    Kinkel pleads guilty to murder and attempted murder, days before jury selection was set to begin.

  6. 1999-11-11

    Kinkel is sentenced to more than 111 years in prison without the possibility of parole.

  7. 2003

    A permanent memorial to the two students killed is dedicated at the school.

  8. 2007-06

    Kinkel seeks a new trial, arguing ineffective assistance of counsel and citing signs of paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the shooting.

  9. 2007-08

    A Marion County judge denies Kinkel's motion for a new trial.

  10. 2011-01

    The Oregon Court of Appeals affirms the trial court judgment, denying Kinkel's motion for a new trial.

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People

  • Kipland "Kip" Kinkel

    CONVICTED

    Pleaded guilty to murder and attempted murder for killing his parents and two students and wounding 25 others; sentenced to more than 111 years in prison without parole.

  • Mikael Nickolauson

    VICTIM

    17-year-old Thurston High School student killed in the cafeteria shooting.

  • Ben Walker

    VICTIM

    16-year-old Thurston High School student fatally wounded in the shooting.

  • Faith Kinkel

    VICTIM

    Kip Kinkel's mother, fatally shot at the family home on May 20, 1998.

  • Anthony W. Case

    VICTIM

    Student shot four times by Kinkel while sheltering under a table, sustaining injuries that affected his mobility.

  • Jacob Ryker

    VICTIM

    Student wounded in the shooting who helped tackle and restrain Kinkel; later received the Boy Scouts of America Honor Medal with Crossed Palms for his actions.

  • William Kinkel

    VICTIM

    Kip Kinkel's father, fatally shot at the family home on May 20, 1998.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Archival records

  • Kip Kinkel

    archival location

    Kip Kinkel

    Credit: United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota · Public domain · Source

  • Thurston High School memorial, June 2026

    archival location

    Thurston High School memorial, June 2026

    Credit: AnthonyTheGuy · CC BY 4.0 · Source

  • Thurston High School memorial, Nickolauson and Walker plaque, June 2026

    archival location

    Thurston High School memorial, Nickolauson and Walker plaque, June 2026

    Credit: AnthonyTheGuy · CC BY 4.0 · Source

  • Students at memorial fence following shooting at Thurston HS in Springfield, Oregon in May of 1998

    archival location

    Students at memorial fence following shooting at Thurston HS in Springfield, Oregon in May of 1998

    Credit: Ron Olsen · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

  • Thurston Shooting First Memorial

    archival location

    Thurston Shooting First Memorial

    Credit: United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota · Public domain · Source

Places

Thurston High School, Springfield, Oregon, United States

44.0494, -122.9247

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
On May 21, 1998, 15-year-old Kip Kinkel opened fire in the cafeteria of Thurston High School in Springfield, Oregon, killing two students and wounding 25 others, a day after killing his parents at their home.
Where did the shooting happen?
Thurston High School, Springfield, Oregon, United States.
Who was convicted?
Kipland "Kip" Kinkel (Pleaded guilty to murder and attempted murder for killing his parents and two students and wounding 25 others; sentenced to more than 111 years in prison without parole.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in Oregon

Sources

  1. 1998 Thurston High School shootingwikipedia · Wikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. Contemporaneous coverage — US Department of Justicenews · US Department of Justice · 2026-07-07
  3. Contemporaneous coverage — CNNnews · CNN · 2026-07-07