Calif. Christian College Resumes Classes After Shooting Nightmare
Oikos University, the Christian college in Oakland, Calif., that suffered one of the state's deadliest school shootings on April 2, has resumed classes three weeks after the tragedy.
One L. Goh, 43, is suspected of killing seven people, including six students, after he opened fire at the university over what appears to be a financial dispute with the school's administrators.
On Monday, a handful of students arrived for an English class at Oikos, the first meeting since the deadly shootings earlier this month. Most students and teachers present on campus refused to speak with reporters, Mercury News reported, and instead focused on paying their respects to fallen classmates, who were remembered with flowers and notes of well-wishes laid out in front of the school grounds.
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"I think it's going to be hard to go into the classroom," said Lucas Garcia, an English teacher at Oikos University who was holding a class when the shootings started. "Maybe it will help to get together."
Although the gunfire damage has mostly been repaired inside the school, reminders of the deadly attack remain in the form of burnt-out candles and wilted flowers. The nursing class in the room where Goh reportedly opened fire with a .45 caliber pistol and shouted "I'm going to kill you all," will resume meeting in a separate building.
"After the tragedy, they are of course welcome here," said Nav Bawa, chief operating officer for nearby Fremont College, which also offers a vocational nursing program." This would be a good home for them."
"We want to help in any way we can," he added. "We're just waiting for the green light."
As students at Oikos now begin trying to re-stabilize their lives and get back to some level of normalcy, the suspected shooter, who some weeks ago told a reporter that he was "sorry" for his actions, has apparently not eaten food for three weeks at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, where he is being held as he awaits trial.
A spokesman for the jail revealed that Goh was experiencing shame over the shootings, and had not eaten a solid meal ever since his arrest on April 2. He reportedly has only managed sips of water and milk.
"He has the right not to eat. We can't force him to eat," said Sgt. J.D. Nelson.
"This is not a situation where it's a hunger strike. He's not protesting anything," the spokesman added, noting that the South Korea-born former student of the college had lost 20 pounds since his jail stay began.
