Hide Article Text (OCR)
“The information we have is that t Was a disagreement between two boys and that our school was in no way responsible. It took place in our school but I could just as easily have taken place on the street, in a playground or on a parking lot.” A former neighbor said Maitland “Wags a very good artist,” and a friend who asked not to be identi fied said he was studying to become a commercial artist. That's the only reason he went to that school, the friend said, “The people that go to that school in a general way hang out together. It's all cliquey. He didn’t fit in. He fit in with us, but not with them. “They were into going out on the weekend and tying it on and getting drunk. The people he hung out with were peaceful, basically. “He was a peaceful person; he wasn't into heavy drinking and he wasn't much of a social person” and did not have a girlfriend, he said, ‘He wasn’t that interested in girls.” Maitland's circle of friends in cluded 15 people at its core, who were either employed by or congre gated at the McDonald's restaurant at 3366 Portage Avenue, where Maitland and his brother, Gordon, once worked, he said. Maitland was dedicated to his art and, “if there was something to be done that had to be done for school, he'd do it first,’’ he said. In addi tion, he was adept at mechanics, having just rejuvenated a compact automobile he purchased for $200. Maitland’s stepfather refused to be interviewed, but said he had never heard of the male juvenile apprehended by police in connec tion with Ken's death. Student Mike Timko, 18, of 59 Jameswood Drive, said he was in the classroom in the south wing of the school at 2665 Ness Avenue at the time of the shooting and saw him (the assailant) pulling it (the gun) out of the duffle bag. “Then I just saw the gun and I figured he was drawing something then I just started working and ... (two or three minutes later) heard the gunshot. Timko, who described the gun as a sawed-off 12-gauge shotgun with a pistol grip, said the assailant CONTINUED walked out of the classroom “calm ly . Nobody attempted to chase or apprehend him, he said, “One of my drafting classmates said he was walking by the lockers pumping the gun,” Timko said, “There weren't too many people in the hall except for our classroom — the classroom we were ind every body just parted. “Nobody tried to stop him be cause they didn't think of it at the time and nobody dared to stop him because he had the shotgun. “The teachers were scared and they just told everybody to get out of the room,” Timko said, . Student Fred Dobransky, 19, of 451 Moray Avenue, said the sawed off shotgun used in the shooting was carried in a round green duffle bag, which measured about two-and-a half feet long and six-to-eight inches wide. The gun fit perfectly i the bag,” he said. ‘ The assailant walked intie Ate classroom half an hour aftery Class got under way, Doler said, He walked to his dest got the bag on his desk because thats” where he pulled it out of. so “ saw him taking the gun out gilt heard two clicks like he was pumps ing 4 shotgun ... Jeinat TR was holding it. He was facing Ken and all I heard was a blast ang that was it.”’ .* Dobransky said he ran over sto: take Maitland’s pulse, first on his wrist, then on his neck, “I focused he was dead because I didn’t n feel anything.” ne Dobransky said Maitland and his assailant mupeated to be friends. “They talked, friendly-wise. Shene times they had their arguments and bugged each other, but I didn't see it was serious, like buddy ing.” . Stefanson agreed the boys. .ap peared to be friends and said they have worked together for at least the last two years. However, others recall hearing them argue in the school recently about the rock music group Kiss. Stefanson said there were 40 stu dents in three industrial design classes in the room at the time and they were being closely super vised by three teachers. A special half-hour staff meeting was held Thursday afternoon to review the incident and Stefanson said he is “perfectly satisfied’ there are no faults in procedures followed by the school. A spokesman for the school's guidance department said neither Maitland nor his assailant had ever liedward?see a guidance counsellor nor had they been referred to one. Stefanson said he has been in formed that neither exhibited emo tional problems. Stefanson, who is serving his first year and principal at Sturgeon Creek, sid, ‘Students love this school. They speak highly of it. The school’s reputation could be tar nished unfairly if people begin pointing to it and saying that’s Where the student can sHot. “ “This will be on our minds for a while; no question about it,” Ste fanson said, weir BOMB pany For students’ gt Shur BOOK “Bchool Welly. “shockdd! ., the’, *achool-remained' onen’Thursday aft’ rernoon fep-the: ‘Maitland shoot. sing. ee veil id The Free aye. figh: mea rate rade a rae - they Oy ale 8 ave close tt the Peta ont the Tor of the The fetal us ed for the res at the morning following the Inc udent, Bote St. James-Assiniboia Rehool Division Superintendent Ron Macintosh said the decision to open sin the afternoon was made “to get “things back to normal. “We realize it wasn't the best of atmospheres,’ MacIntosh said. ‘'] wouldn't question that the students’ ability to concentrate was affected but we felt it was important to keep the school open.”* One parent said he thought the students should have been given time “to get it out of their systems and do their gossiping about the incident at home. Another parent said that, because the students who saw the shooting would be questioned by other stu dents in the school, it would have been better to cancel classes for the entire day. School officials said they were inundated with telephone calls from concerned parents who had heard about the shooting.
Newspaper Details
Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg, Manitoba, CA
Fri, Oct 20, 1978
Page 8
Full Page
Clipped by
Ashlan K.
CA 15 Jul 2026
Other Publications Near Winnipeg, Manitoba
Winnipeg Courrier du Nord Ouest
Winnipeg Tribune
Winnipeg Free Press Sunday
Winnipeg Manitoban
Winnipeg Free Press
