To tell this story, we need to first go back to an incident from 1995. On the morning of Thursday, January 12th, the student body filed into the gym at Garfield High School at 400 East 23rd for a Martin Luther King Day assembly. Outside the gymnasium, 15-year-old Anthony Walker (pseudonym's will be used for the minors) was smoking and selling weed. Another student, Junior Henry Cooper, was teasing the five-foot-four Freshman and he and his friends stole the weed. Anthony ditched the assembly, humiliated and angry, and headed home. As the speakers at the assembly spoke of Dr. King's legacy of nonviolence and black liberation, Anthony grabbed a 9mm handgun he had stolen from his grandfather, and headed back to school. He got back just as lunch was starting. Henry and Company were in the lunchroom and Anthony made a b-line for their table. Henry told Anthony to sit down, like nothing had even happened.
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| Garfield's lunchroom |
Anthony sat down and leaned back far enough for Henry to see the gun in his waistband. Henry started shouting about the gun which caused mass panic in the lunchroom. Henry lunged at Anthony and knocked the gun out of his hand. Somehow, Anthony was able to recover the gun and started pistol whipping Henry. Henry managed to stand up, and ran from the lunchroom with Anthony right behind him.
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| Northwest lower hallway |
The chase went through the crowded hallways, to an outside sidewalk, and then back inside the front hallway. Anthony managed to get off 14 shots but somehow, he only hit 2 kids. Freshman Robin Turner heard someone shout, "He's got a gun!" She ran for the front doors, but a bullet tore through her left knee. Henry had also been shot and was laying on the floor of the front foyer. Robin fell next to him. Anthony managed to flee the school but he was arrested at a nearby baseball diamond, with the last bullet still in the gun.
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| Foyer where Henry and Robin fell |
He was tried as a juvenile, plead guilty to first-degree attempted murder (Henry) and first-degree assault, (Robin) and was sentenced to juvey for five years. He hasn't been in any trouble since. One of the other students at the school happened to be the son of Assistant US Attorney, Tom Wales.
He specialized in the investigation and prosecution of fraud in banking and business. The shooting prompted Tom to become involved in Washington CeaseFire. He would eventually become the president. He also tried unsuccessfully to pass a referendum that would require gun owners to use trigger locks. On the night of October 11, 2001, Tom was sitting at his computer in the basement of his house at 108 Hayes Street on Queen Anne hill.
He specialized in the investigation and prosecution of fraud in banking and business. The shooting prompted Tom to become involved in Washington CeaseFire. He would eventually become the president. He also tried unsuccessfully to pass a referendum that would require gun owners to use trigger locks. On the night of October 11, 2001, Tom was sitting at his computer in the basement of his house at 108 Hayes Street on Queen Anne hill.
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| The Wales home |
A gunman sneaked into the backyard without triggering the motion detectors and shot four times through a window, hitting Tom in the neck. A neighbor heard the shots and called 911. Tom was still alive when paramedics got there, but he couldn't speak. He died the next morning during surgery. His murder has never been solved. There of course was some speculation the murder was tied to his anti-gun violence activism and it certainly is ironic. All the police do know is that a handgun was used. The killer left the shell casings behind.
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| Possible suspect |
One neighbor remembered seeing an unfamiliar man in the neighborhood and gave a description to a sketch artist. An airplane pilot that Tom had prosecuted was investigated and his home searched, but he was never charged. The case is still open and a reward for one-million dollars, still stands.
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| Thomas C. Wales Park |
Soon after his murder, The Thomas C. Wales Foundation was started which is "Dedicated To The Promise of Ordinary Citizens Actively Helping to Create a More Livable and Fair Society." In 2010 a park was named for him at 2401 N. Sixth Ave. RIP
