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West Nickel Mines School shooting

SOLVED2006West Nickel Mines School, Bart Township, Pennsylvania2 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

On the morning of October 2, 2006, Charles Carl Roberts IV, a 32-year-old milk tanker truck driver who served local Amish farms, entered the West Nickel Mines School, a one-room Old Order Amish schoolhouse in Bart Township, Pennsylvania. He first asked the teacher and students about a missing clevis pin, then returned to his truck for a handgun and ordered the boys to carry in supplies including lumber, a shotgun, a stun gun, chains, and restraints. The teacher and her visiting mother escaped to summon help. Roberts released a pregnant woman, three parents with infants, and the boys, keeping ten girls, aged 6 to 13, as hostages after lining them up against the chalkboard.

The first 911 call was placed at approximately 10:35–10:36 a.m. The first state trooper arrived around 10:42 a.m., and police attempted to negotiate with Roberts by public address system and telephone as he continued to threaten the children. Two sisters reportedly asked Roberts to shoot them first so the other girls might be spared; one sister was killed and the other wounded. At approximately 11:07 a.m., Roberts began shooting the hostages before troopers reached the building, then died by suicide.

Five girls died at the scene or shortly afterward in area hospitals. A sixth girl, who had sustained severe brain injuries, lived with significant disabilities until her death in September 2024. Four other girls were wounded and survived.

Roberts left suicide notes for his wife and children and, in a phone call to his wife during the incident, said he had molested two young relatives 20 years earlier; those relatives later told police no such abuse occurred. His notes referenced the death of a daughter shortly after birth roughly nine years earlier as a turning point in his life.

The Amish community's response emphasized forgiveness, with members visiting and comforting Roberts' widow and parents, establishing a fund for his family, and inviting his widow to a victim's funeral. This response, along with the broader case, was widely covered by national media and became the subject of the book and television film "Amish Grace." The original schoolhouse was demolished on October 12, 2006, and a replacement, the New Hope School, opened nearby on April 2, 2007.

Key facts

Victims
Barbara Fisher, Lena Zook Miller, Marian Stoltzfus Fisher, Esther King, Naomi Rose Ebersol, Anna Mae Stoltzfus, Mary Liz Miller, Sarah Ann Stoltzfus, Rosanna King, Rachel Ann Stoltzfus
Date
2006
Location
West Nickel Mines School, Bart Township, Pennsylvania
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 2006-10-02

    Charles Carl Roberts IV enters the West Nickel Mines School, takes hostages, and shoots ten girls before dying by suicide; five girls die at the scene or shortly after at hospitals that day and the next.

  2. 2006-10-03

    Two more wounded girls die after life support is withdrawn in the early hours.

  3. 2006-10-04

    Rosanna King is removed from life support and sent home with severe brain injuries; the two relatives Roberts referenced tell police no abuse had occurred.

  4. 2006-10-10

    Transcripts of the 911 calls related to the shooting are released to the public.

  5. 2006-10-12

    The West Nickel Mines School is demolished.

  6. 2007-04-02

    The New Hope School opens at a different nearby site, six months after the shooting.

  7. 2024-09-03

    Rosanna King, injured in the 2006 shooting, dies at age 23 from her injuries, becoming the sixth fatality.

Best coverage

No approved coverage links are attached yet.

People

  • Barbara Fisher

    VICTIM

    Age 11; wounded, underwent shoulder surgery, later played school softball.

  • Lena Zook Miller

    VICTIM

    Age 7; died at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center on October 3, 2006.

  • Marian Stoltzfus Fisher

    VICTIM

    Age 13; died at the scene on October 2, 2006.

  • Esther King

    VICTIM

    Age 13; wounded, later returned to school and worked on the family farm.

  • Naomi Rose Ebersol

    VICTIM

    Age 7; died at the scene on October 2, 2006.

  • Anna Mae Stoltzfus

    VICTIM

    Age 12; declared dead on arrival at Lancaster General Hospital on October 2, 2006.

  • Mary Liz Miller

    VICTIM

    Age 9; died at Christiana Hospital on October 3, 2006.

  • Sarah Ann Stoltzfus

    VICTIM

    Age 12; wounded, lost full vision in her left eye, returned to school.

  • Rosanna King

    VICTIM

    Age 6 at time of shooting; sustained severe brain injuries and died from them on September 3, 2024, at age 23.

  • Rachel Ann Stoltzfus

    VICTIM

    Age 8; wounded and hospitalized, later returned to school.

  • Jeffrey B. Miller

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner who oversaw the response and later described the shooting's details and presented commendations to troopers.

  • Charles Carl Roberts IV

    CHARGED

    Identified as the gunman who took hostages and shot ten girls at the schoolhouse before dying by suicide; died at the scene and was never prosecuted.

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

Places

West Nickel Mines School, Bart Township, Pennsylvania

39.9602, -76.0844

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
On October 2, 2006, a gunman took hostages at an Amish one-room schoolhouse in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, and shot ten girls. Five died in 2006, and a sixth girl who had lived with severe injuries died in 2024; the gunman died by suicide. The Amish community's public forgiveness of his family drew wide national attention.
Where did the shooting happen?
West Nickel Mines School, Bart Township, Pennsylvania.
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in Pennsylvania

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICWest Nickel Mines School shootingWikipedia · 2026-07-10
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — CNNCNN · 2026-07-10