El Cajon Ca Schools

The assistant principal of Granite Hills High School testified Thursday that a smiling Jason Hoffman leveled a shotgun at him and said, "I'm going to get you," before beginning a shooting rampage March 22 that left five people wounded. Testifying in Hoffman's preliminary hearing, Daniel Barnes said he dove through a door just as the senior at the El Cajon school fired a blast that shattered the door's window.

The assistant principal of Granite Hills High School testified Thursday that a smiling Jason Hoffman leveled a shotgun at him and said, "I'm going to get you," before beginning a shooting rampage March 22 that left five people wounded. Testifying in Hoffman's preliminary hearing, Daniel Barnes said he dove through a door just as the senior at the El Cajon school fired a blast that shattered the door's window.

Amid the blackboards and the basketball hoops at Granite Hills High School and neighboring Santana High students see the same incongruous sight: cops with guns. The two suburban San Diego County campuses are the rule, not the exception. Schools nationwide are arming themselves to protect against their own. Parents and students who once would have winced at the notion are now willing--even eager--to welcome well-armed officers on campus.

Amid the blackboards and the basketball hoops at Granite Hills High School and neighboring Santana High students see the same incongruous sight: cops with guns. The two suburban San Diego County campuses are the rule, not the exception. Schools nationwide are arming themselves to protect against their own. Parents and students who once would have winced at the notion are now willing--even eager--to welcome well-armed officers on campus.