On March 24, 1998, 12-year-old Westside Middle School student Paige Ann Herring was killed in a planned school shooting in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Two classmates, 13-year-old Mitchell Johnson and 11-year-old Andrew Golden, pulled a fire alarm to draw students and staff outside, then opened fire from a concealed position with firearms taken from Golden’s grandfather. The attack lasted about ten minutes and left Paige and four others dead, including teacher Shannon Wright and students Natalie Brooks, Stephanie Johnson, and Britthney Varner. Johnson and Golden were apprehended shortly after the shooting and, because of their ages, were tried as juveniles and sentenced to confinement until they reached 21.

Paige was a child among classmates and teachers killed in a carefully planned attack that reverberated through the Jonesboro community. If anyone knew Paige, her classmates, or has information about that day that hasn’t been shared, please come forward.