Jonesboro, AR — (JonesboroRightNow.com) — March 24, 2025 — It has been 27 years since two students ambushed teachers and students in 1998 at the Westside Middle School, resulting in five dead and ten others injured. However, the tragedy will forever be felt by the family and friends of the victims of the Westside School Shooting.
According to information from the Encyclopedia of Arkansas, students and teachers were starting the fifth period around 12:35 p.m. when a fire alarm caused the student body and faculty to evacuate the building.
The alarm was triggered by 11-year-old Andrew Golden, who then joined 13-year-old Mitchell Johnson in a field next to the school. At 12:41 p.m., as 87 students and nine teachers evacuated the building, Golden and Johnson began quickly firing at the group. After firing, they fled through the woods and were apprehended by the police without further violence.
During the incident, 10 people were injured and five people were killed, including sixth-grade teacher Shannon Wright and four students: 11-year-old Natalie Brooks, 12-year-old Paige Ann Herring, 12-year-old Stephanie Johnson, and 11-year-old Brittheny Varner.
Police discovered the boys were trying to go to a van parked almost half a mile away from the school. The van, which had been taken from Johnson’s home, contained food, extra clothing, and camping equipment for their escape. It was also determined that three handguns were taken from Golden’s residence and an additional four handguns, and three rifles came from Golden’s grandfather’s residence.
The Craighead County Sheriff’s Office charged both suspects with five counts of capital murder and 10 counts of first-degree battery.
Both boys were found guilty on Aug. 11, 1998, on all charges. Deputy Prosecutor Mike Walden of Craighead County was unable to charge the suspects as adults because they did not meet the minimum age of accountability, which was 14 at the time of the incident.
Fifth Division Circuit Court Judge Ralph Wilson presided over the case and added additional time to their sentences due to the aggravated circumstances and weapons violations. However, both suspects were scheduled for release upon their 21st birthdays, which was 2005 for Johnson and 2007 for Golden.
The shooting at Westside Middle School was influential in pushing legislative action to allow prosecutors discretion in charging juveniles as adults. In 1999, the Arkansas General Assembly passed Act 1192, the Extended Juvenile Jurisdiction Act, which allowed prosecutors to charge juveniles under the age of 14 as adults for capital murder and first-degree murder.