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1998 Westside Middle School shooting

SOLVED1998Westside Middle School, unincorporated Craighead County, near Jonesboro, Arkansas3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026

Documents violence · crimes against children — written to inform, not to shock.

Illustrative

On March 24, 1998, a mass shooting occurred at Westside Middle School in unincorporated Craighead County, Arkansas, near Jonesboro. Thirteen-year-old Mitchell Johnson and eleven-year-old Andrew Golden pulled a fire alarm to draw students and staff outside, then opened fire from nearby woods. Officials stated the shooting began at approximately 12:41 p.m. The pair fired a combined 22 bullets, killing four students and one teacher, and wounding nine students and one teacher, before attempting to flee to a getaway van stocked with camping supplies and additional weapons. They were apprehended by police approximately ten minutes after the shooting began.

The five people killed were teacher Shannon Wright, 32, who was reported to have used her body to shield a wounded student, and students Stephanie Johnson, 12; Natalie Brooks, 11; Paige Ann Herring, 12; and Brittheny Varner, 11. All ten wounded victims survived.

The night before the attack, the two perpetrators loaded a van with nine firearms — stolen from Golden's grandfather's house — along with 2,000 rounds of ammunition and survival gear, indicating a plan to escape into the woods afterward. A student had reported to a school counselor three months earlier that Golden had stated an intention to shoot people at the school.

Because of their ages, Johnson and Golden were tried as juveniles and were convicted in August 1998 of five counts of murder and ten counts of assault. Under Arkansas law for minors under 14, the maximum sentence was confinement until age 21; the presiding judge, Ralph Wilson, remarked that "the punishment will not fit the crime." The Jonesboro prosecutor stated that, but for their ages, he would have sought the death penalty. Johnson was released from the Federal Correctional Institution, Memphis, on his 21st birthday in August 2005; Golden was released from the same facility on his 21st birthday in May 2007.

In 2017, victims' families were awarded $150 million in a civil lawsuit against Johnson and Golden intended to prevent the two from profiting from the shooting.

After his release, Johnson faced a series of subsequent criminal charges in Arkansas, including weapons and drug offenses and theft-related convictions, resulting in additional prison sentences into the 2010s. Golden later used an assumed name; his connection to that identity was confirmed through fingerprint records during a background check for a concealed-weapon permit application, which was denied. Golden died on July 27, 2019, in a head-on traffic collision near Cave City, Arkansas; the driver of the other vehicle was also killed, and three others, including Golden's wife and daughter, were injured.

The shooting was the third fatal mass shooting at an American school since October 1997 and prompted President Bill Clinton to direct the Attorney General to convene experts on school violence.

Key facts

Victims
Stephanie Johnson, Brittheny Varner, Paige Ann Herring, Natalie Brooks, Shannon Wright
Date
1998
Location
Westside Middle School, unincorporated Craighead County, near Jonesboro, Arkansas
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1998-03-24

    Andrew Golden pulls a fire alarm and, with Mitchell Johnson, opens fire on students and staff evacuating Westside Middle School near Jonesboro, Arkansas, killing five and wounding ten.

  2. 1998-08-11

    Johnson and Golden are convicted of five counts of murder and ten counts of assault; both are sentenced to confinement until age 21.

  3. 2005-08-11

    Mitchell Johnson is released from the Federal Correctional Institution, Memphis, on his 21st birthday.

  4. 2007-05-25

    Andrew Golden is released from the Federal Correctional Institution, Memphis, on his 21st birthday.

  5. 2007-10-24

    Johnson is indicted by a federal grand jury for possession of a firearm while using or addicted to a controlled substance.

  6. 2008-11-14

    Johnson is sentenced to 12 years in prison for theft and misdemeanor drug possession charges.

  7. 2009-01-23

    Johnson is sentenced to six additional years for theft by receiving and financial identity fraud.

  8. 2017

    Victims' families are awarded $150 million in a civil lawsuit against Johnson and Golden.

  9. 2019-07-27

    Andrew Golden dies in a head-on traffic collision near Cave City, Arkansas.

Best coverage

No approved coverage links are attached yet.

People

  • Andrew Golden

    CONVICTED

    Convicted as a juvenile in August 1998 of five counts of murder and ten counts of assault; later denied a concealed-weapon permit under an assumed identity.

    citation on file

  • Stephanie Johnson

    VICTIM

    Student, age 12, killed in the shooting.

    citation on file

  • Brittheny Varner

    VICTIM

    Student, age 11, killed in the shooting.

    citation on file

  • Paige Ann Herring

    VICTIM

    Student, age 12, killed in the shooting.

    citation on file

  • Natalie Brooks

    VICTIM

    Student, age 11, killed in the shooting.

    citation on file

  • Shannon Wright

    VICTIM

    Teacher, age 32, killed while reportedly shielding a wounded student.

    citation on file

  • Mitchell Johnson

    CONVICTED

    Convicted as a juvenile in August 1998 of five counts of murder and ten counts of assault; also later convicted in adult courts of separate weapons, drug, and theft-related offenses.

    citation on file

Places

Westside Middle School, unincorporated Craighead County, near Jonesboro, Arkansas

35.8569, -90.8058

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
On March 24, 1998, two boys, aged 13 and 11, opened fire on students and teachers evacuating a false fire alarm at Westside Middle School near Jonesboro, Arkansas, killing five and wounding ten before being caught fleeing the scene.
Where did the shooting happen?
Westside Middle School, unincorporated Craighead County, near Jonesboro, Arkansas.
Who was convicted?
Andrew Golden (Convicted as a juvenile in August 1998 of five counts of murder and ten counts of assault; later denied a concealed-weapon permit under an assumed identity.) and Mitchell Johnson (Convicted as a juvenile in August 1998 of five counts of murder and ten counts of assault; also later convicted in adult courts of separate weapons, drug, and theft-related offenses.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.

Sources

  1. 1998 Westside Middle School shootingwikipedia · Wikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. Contemporaneous coverage — The New York Timesnews · The New York Times · 2026-07-07
  3. Contemporaneous coverage — ABC Newsnews · ABC News · 2026-07-07
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