Andrew Golden

Case record: Westside Middle School massacre (Andrew Golden)

Timeline

• March 23, 1998 — Golden helped Mitchell Johnson load his mother's 1991 Dodge Caravan with weapons, snack foods, and camping supplies.
• March 24, 1998 — Johnson stole his mother's keys and drove to the school with Golden; they lured students out using a false fire alarm and opened fire, killing five people and wounding ten others.
• August 11, 2005 — Johnson was released on his 21st birthday due to federal gun crimes.
• January 1, 2007 — Johnson was arrested after a traffic stop in Fayetteville, Arkansas on misdemeanor charges of carrying a weapon (a loaded 9 mm pistol) and possession of 21.2 grams of marijuana.
• January 26, 2007 — Johnson had a court appearance at the Washington County, Arkansas courthouse.
• May 6, 2008 — Golden completed a civil case deposition.
• October 7, 2008 — Golden applied for a concealed weapon permit in Arkansas under the name Drew Douglas Grant; the application was denied by Arkansas state police.
• January 28, 2008 — Johnson's trial began; after two days of testimony, he was found guilty of possessing a weapon while being a drug user.
• February 2008 — Days after conviction, Johnson was arrested again for possession of marijuana and on suspicion of using a stolen credit card.
• September 2008 — US District Judge Jimm Larry Hendren sentenced Mitchell Johnson to four years in prison on weapon and drug charges.
• October 7, 2008 — Johnson pleaded guilty to a felony theft charge and misdemeanor possession of marijuana.
• November 14, 2008 — Johnson, now 24 years old, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for the theft charge and misdemeanor possession charges.
• January 23, 2009 — Johnson was sentenced to six additional years in prison for theft by receiving and financial identity fraud for using the stolen card to purchase a meal from a local Burger King.

Background

Andrew Douglas Golden was a middle school student who was 11 years old at the time of the Westside Middle School massacre. He lived in the Jonesboro area with his parents and had a relationship with his grandparents after school.

Golden was raised to be familiar with guns and their use at an early age. He was given his first firearm by his father when he was six years old. His schoolmates described him as a bully and noted troublesome behavior, including fist fights and use of profane language. A classmate accused him of killing her cat with a BB gun.

During the shooting, Golden and Mitchell Johnson were described as being dressed in camouflage clothing and as shooting in an ambush style from the woods.

The offence

On March 24, 1998, Johnson parked a van in the middle of the woods outside of the backyard of the school and planned to return there once the massacre was over. Johnson sat on a hill in the backyard of the school, while Golden went inside and pulled the fire alarm. As students and teachers filed out of the building, thinking it was a routine fire drill, Johnson and Golden opened fire on them.

Four minutes after the shooting began, four students and a teacher were killed and ten others were wounded. Police later described the attack as an ambush from the woods.

After the shooting, Johnson and Golden ran into the woods back to the van. They failed to outrun officers pursuing them and were both arrested by police.

Victims and injuries

A total of five people were killed: four female students and a teacher. Ten people were injured: nine students and one teacher.

The dead were described as:

• Natalie Brooks, age 11
• Paige Ann Herring, age 12
• Stephanie Johnson, age 12
• Brittany R. Varner, age 11
• Shannon Wright, age 32 (English teacher)

The injured were described as 10 students and a teacher, with several injuries mentioned:

• Lynette Thetford (world history teacher) was wounded.
• Whitney Irving was wounded.
• Crystal Barnes was wounded.
• Candace Porter was wounded.
• Ashley Betts was wounded.
• Six people remained hospitalized at one point, with one in critical condition.

Investigation

Police described the two boys as having been caught near the school in camouflage shirts, pants, and hats carrying handguns and rifles. Investigators said the boys were running in the direction of a white van found about a half-mile away from the school with more guns and ammunition in it; the van was impounded by police.

A later release of investigative materials described police reports and ballistic information. According to ballistic reports released by prosecutors:

• Andrew shot a .30-caliber semiautomatic carbine.
• Andrew killed Paige Herring, Natalie Brooks, and Britthney Varner.
• Andrew also wounded Lynette Thetford and student Whitney Irving.
• Mitchell killed Shannon Wright and wounded Crystal Barnes, Candace Porter, and Ashley Betts.
• A state Crime Laboratory report indicated that bullet fragments from the body of Stephanie Johnson, age 12, could not be used to determine which rifle fired the bullet, and a police report said Mitchell likely fired the bullet.
• The reports did not show which of the two injured the five other students.

Investigators also itemized food found in a gray 1991 Dodge Caravan owned by Terry and Gretchen Woodard, who were identified as Mitchell's stepfather and mother. Several items were listed in the van, including beans, soup, fruit, packages of dried beef strips, tuna and crackers, snacks, and a package of candy, along with other camping supplies.

Arrest

Johnson and Golden were arrested after being pursued into the woods and returning to the van area. A later recounting of the arrest described investigators John Varner and Jon Moore handcuffing Mitchell and Andrew near a county road behind the school moments after the shootings.

During the arrest, an officer asked “Why?” The released reporting included the following statements:

• Mitchell said: “Andrew was mad at a teacher,” and “He was tired of their crap.”
• Another account described Mitchell replying “Anger, I guess.”
• Mitchell later stated: “He [Andrew] asked me if I would help him do it, and I said 'Yes.' ”

Trial

Because of their age, Johnson and Golden were tried as juveniles. They were found guilty of five counts of murder.

During the trial, Mitchell Johnson read a letter of apology he had written to victims' families. In that statement, he said:

“We were not going to shoot at anyone in particular,”
“I really thought we would scare them.”
“I am sorry. I hope anyone who listens to these word knows how truly sorry I am.”

While in detention awaiting trial, Mitchell wrote a detention letter that stated:

“Hi. My name is Mitchell. My thoughts and prayers are with those people who were killed, or shot, and their families.”
“I am really sad inside about everything.”
“My thoughts and prayers are with those kids that I go to school with.”
“I really want people to know the real Mitchell someday.”
“Sincerely, Mitchell Johnson.”

After their convictions, Johnson and Golden were taken by National Guard helicopter to Alexander, Arkansas, described as the location of the Youth Services Division's juvenile facility and the state's most secure juvenile facility.

Sentencing

Due to their status as juveniles, they were confined until reaching the age limit. The stated status reflected that they were sentenced to confinement until age 21.

A later recounting described that a juvenile court judge found the two boys delinquent and that the judge could sentence them to juvenile prison, perhaps until they turn 21.

Appeals

No appeals were described in the provided material.

Outcome

Mitchell Johnson and Andrew Golden were convicted as juveniles of murder counts related to the ambush killings at Westside Middle School.

Andrew Golden was released on May 25, 2007, also on his 21st birthday.

Aftermath

After Golden’s release, his exact whereabouts were described as unknown until he applied for a concealed weapon permit in Arkansas on October 7, 2008, under the name he used, Drew Douglas Grant.

Arkansas state police denied the permit application. The police noted that Golden lied on the application about his previous residences, and they said it would be illegal for Golden to own or possess a firearm, though the reason for this was described as unclear.

The assumed name Golden was using had been unknown up until this point due to a gag order, but police were able to tie Andrew Golden to Grant through fingerprint records during the background check for the permit application.

Other details

• Golden was described as being detained in juvenile facilities after the convictions.
• The material described Golden as being allowed to buy and own firearms after release, in relation to Johnson’s status rather than directly to Golden.
• Golden was identified as Drew Golden in at least one passage describing the shootings and his grandfather’s account, including that Doug Golden said his grandson admitted pulling the fire alarm and that he fired some shots but could not recall anything else.