Slain principal memorialized for sacrifice
(AP) - A slain principal was memorialized Wednesday for the sacrifice he made to keeps his students safe.
Hundreds of people packed into the Weston Schools gym at Cazenovia to say goodbye to John Klang. He was shot as he wrestled a gun from a student in the school hallway last Friday.
Students wearing Weston letter jackets and football jerseys mixed with adult mourners at the service. Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle was also in attendance.
The Rev. Lorin Bowens compared Klang to a shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. Bowens gave thanks for Klang's sacrifice.
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.
School board president David Wermund told the crowd that it was Klang's courage and selflessness that saved those at the school that day.
Wermund choked back tears as he told mourners the "hoopla" of the funeral would have made Klang uncomfortable. Wermund says Klang liked the simple things -- hunting, fishing and walking in the woods.
Klang's casket was covered in hunters' camouflage.
A freshman student, Eric Hainstock, is charged with shooting Klang just inside the high school entrance Friday.
A criminal complaint says Hainstock was upset with Klang because the principal had disciplined him for having tobacco in the school the day before, and teachers hadn't stopped a group of kids who had called him names.
Court documents paint a grim picture of Eric Hainstock's home life. When Hainstock's parents, Lisa and Shawn, divorced in 1995, a judge granted primary custody to Hainstock's father, saying he provided a more stable environment. But, Shawn Hainstock was charged with physically abusing his son in 2001.
A criminal complaint says Eric told investigators his father kicked him because he hadn't given the pets some water. He says his father also hit him with a belt and a paddle he called the "board of education," put hot sauce or hot peppers in his mouth as punishment for lying and swearing and threatened him with juvenile court and foster care.
A neighbor also says the boy spent as much time as possible with his grandparents to get away from his father.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
