Jon Romano

Jon Romano
Born
Jon W. Romano

(1987-10-30) October 30, 1987[6]
Known forPerpetrating the Columbia High School shooting
Criminal statusReleased
MotiveSuicidal ideation, sexual abuse, depression[1]
Criminal chargeattempted murder and
reckless endangerment[2]
Penalty20 year prison sentence[3] (Released after 17 years on good behavior)[4]
Details
DateFebruary 9, 2004[5]
LocationsColumbia High School, East Greenbush, New York
Killed0
Injured1
WeaponWinchester 12-gauge pump-action shotgun

Jon W. Romano (born October 30, 1987) is an American convicted school shooter and reformed mental health advocate.

Early life

Romano was born on October 30, 1987 in East Greenbush, New York. His father left the family when Romano was four years old. He alleges that, as a child, he was beaten by his father.[7]

Shooting

While a student at Columbia High School, Romano walked into school with a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun on 9 February 2004. Without hesitation, he passed by the main office and ascended the stairs to reach a bathroom on the second floor. He sent messages to his friends while in a bathroom stall. One message wrote "I'm in school with shotgun, get out."[8][9]

Romano then washed his hands and stepped into a hallway with the shotgun. He fired two shots before Assistant Principal, John Sawchuk, tackled Romano from behind. As Romano and Sawchuk struggled, a third shot was fired, striking the leg of Michael Bennett, a special-education teacher at the school.[10] Romano was subdued and restrained until law enforcement arrived and was subsequently arrested.

Guilty Plea and Sentencing

He was charged with three counts of attempted murder in the second degree, one count of assault in the second degree, and 82 counts of reckless endangerment in the first degree. He accepted a plea agreement from the prosecution and was sentenced to 20 years in prison, to be followed by a five-year period of post-release supervision.[11]

Incarceration

During his prison sentence, Romano wrote a series of letters that advocated against gun violence. On February 21, 2018, The Albany Times Union wrote a column that featured comments from John Sawchuk. The incarcerated Romano responded with a letter which thanked the assistant principal for apprehending him before he could hurt himself or others. [12]

Romano also penned a public letter shortly after the Parkland High School shooting in which he called the survivors “courageous and inspiring for demanding action from politicians.”[13]

Romano was released in December, 2020, after serving 15 years of his 20-year sentence.[14]

Return to Society

Sword attack

On 29 August 2022, Romano was attacked with a sword and critically injured while working at a homeless shelter in Albany, New York. Randell D. Mason, a 42 year old homeless man was subsequently arrested and charged with attempted second-degree murder.[15] In April 2023, Mason was found guilty and sentenced to 25 years imprisonment on the charge.[16]

Social Media

In early 2022, Romano made a social media account on the streaming platform Tiktok. The account quickly gained a following due to his criminal notoriety. As attention to his social media presense grew, a significant amount of backlash from other influencers on the platform, many of whom claimed it was an attempt to monetize the notoriety gained from his violent crimes. In late 2022, Romano announced that he would no longer be participating on the platform due to the amount of negative and abusive comments he received.[17]

References

  1. ^ Churchill, Chris (October 5, 2023). "Churchill: Two decades after school shooting, Jon Romano comes home and tries to explain". Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  2. ^ Yang, Maya (October 12, 2023). "A school shooter went viral on TikTok. Should he be on the platform at all?". The Guardian. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  3. ^ Liquori, Donna (December 19, 2004). "Student Agrees to 20-Year Term After Nonfatal Shooting Spree in High School". The New York Times. New York Times. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  4. ^ WRGB Staff (December 16, 2020). "Jon Romano, convicted in 2004 East Greenbush school shooting, released from prison". cbs6albany. cbs6albany. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  5. ^ Santora, Marc (February 10, 2004). "Student Opens Fire at a High School Near Albany, Hitting a Teacher". The New York Times. The New York Times. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  6. ^ "Jon Romano". School Shooters .info. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  7. ^ Romano, Jon (February 9, 2004). "Jon Romano (Note he wrote and left at home on the morning of Feb. 9, 2004)" (PDF): 4. Retrieved November 23, 2023. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  8. ^ Patrick, William. "An Incident of School Violence in East Greenbush, New York". The Official Website of William B. Patrick.
  9. ^ Liquori, Donna (December 19, 2004). "Student Agrees to 20-Year Term After Nonfatal Shooting Spree in High School". New York Times. New York Times. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  10. ^ Swenson, Kyle (March 5, 2018). "In 2004, he walked into school with a shotgun. Today – from prison – he weighs in on Parkland". The Spokesman-review. The Spokesman-review. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  11. ^ Liquori, Donna (December 19, 2004). "Student Agrees to 20-Year Term After Nonfatal Shooting Spree in High School". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  12. ^ Edwards, Lynda J. "In letter, East Greenbush school shooter praises Florida advocates". Times Union. Archived from the original on November 24, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  13. ^ Hincks, Joseph (March 4, 2018). "This Man Is in Prison for Opening Fire in a High School. He Says the Parkland Shooting Survivors Are 'Courageous and Inspiring'". Time Magazine. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  14. ^ Staff, WRGB (December 15, 2020). "Jon Romano, convicted in 2004 East Greenbush school shooting, released from prison". WRGB. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  15. ^ Brendan J. Lyons, Joshua Solomon. "Jon Romano, convicted in '04 school shooting, was victim in sword attack". Times Union. Archived from the original on August 6, 2024. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  16. ^ Rizzo, Sara (April 7, 2023). "Albany man sentenced to 25 years in sword attack case". News 10. News 10. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  17. ^ "Jon Romano (@jonseekingpeace2) | TikTok". TikTok. Archived from the original on November 2, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
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