Transcripts reveal last moments in Amish schoolhouse

The Amish schoolhouse gunman opened fire on his 10 hostages just moments after demanding authorities get off the property, giving state troopers no time to try to save the girls.

Charles Roberts threatened to kill the children “in two seconds” during a 70-second call to a police emergency dispatcher, according to investigators and emergency call transcripts released yesterday.

“Don’t try to talk me out of it, get ’em all off the property now,” Roberts told a Lancaster County dispatcher in a calm, flat voice.

Before authorities could react, he hung up and started shooting inside the West Nickel Mines Amish School, in Pennsylvania, killing five girls and wounding five others before killing himself.

Lancaster County District Attorney Don Totaro said: “He clearly did not give the police any opportunity to get off the property.

“He did not seem emotional. He did not seem angry.”

The emergency call transcripts were released in response to a Right-to-Know request.

The emergency call centre received four initial calls about the shooting on October 2 – including Roberts’ call; a call from his wife, who had talked to him by phone and found his suicide notes; and one from a farmer calling on behalf of the Amish teacher.

Roberts told the dispatcher: “I just took, uh, ten girls hostage and I want everybody off the property or, or else.”

The call-handler asked Roberts to stay on the phone so he could be transferred to state police.

Roberts replied: “Two seconds, that’s it.” He then hung up, before police could arrange for him to talk to a negotiator.

As a backup, police were readying their shields and weapons to break into the school. When they heard shots, they moved in.

Roberts, a 32-year-old milk truck driver and father of three, had stormed the school armed with a shotgun, a handgun and a stun gun. He sent the adults and boys out and bound the 10 remaining girls at the blackboard.

Teacher Emma Mae Zook, 20, ran to a neighbouring farm, prompting the first emergency call at 10.35am from farmer Amos Smoker.

“There’s a, there’s a guy in the school with a gun,” Smoker said.

Roberts made an emergency call at 10.55am.

Three minutes later, his wife Marie called the dispatch centre. She had talked to him by phone, but did not know where he was calling from.

She said: “(He said) I’m not coming home, um, he was upset about something that had happened twenty years ago, and he said he was getting revenge for it, I don’t think he was getting revenge on another person, I’m worried that maybe he was trying to commit suicide.”

She described the notes she had found.

“Like, the thought of not my children, not seeing them grow up, like, let’s see, uh, I’m not even sure, here it is, my daughter Abigail I want you to know that I love you and I’m sorry I couldn’t be here to watch you grow up, that’s how the notes start,” Mrs Roberts said.

Roberts had told his wife he was tormented by memories of molesting two young relatives 20 years ago, and by the 1997 death of the couple’s newborn daughter.

Meanwhile, state police confirmed yesterday they were reopening an unopened case of a rape attempt that occurred near Roberts’ home in 2005.

An intruder entered a 39-year-old woman’s home through a window and began assaulting her before her father intervened. The assault took place at about 3am, the same time Roberts typically finished his milk run.

“We do have evidence,” said state police Lt. A.J. Krawczel said. “We’ll look at that and compare it to what we have with Mr Roberts.”

Police also reported that someone had scattered the flowers and kicked the fresh dirt at Roberts’ grave overnight on Monday. He was buried on Saturday in Georgetown, Pennsylvania.

A modified garage at an Amish farm in the area will serve as a temporary schoolhouse for the children who survived the shootings.

Amish community leaders issued a statement yesterday thanking emergency workers for their help and outsiders for their support and donations.

“The whole community, Amish and others, were horrified and shocked that such evil could be done to the most innocent members of our peaceful community,” the statement said.

“Each act of kindness, the prayers and every gift, small or large, comfort us and assure us that our spirits will heal even though the painful loss will always be with us.”