STATE

Ocala school shooter makes first appearance

Austin L. Miller
austin.miller@ocala.com
Marion County Sheriff's Detectives John Lightle, left, and Dan Pinder, right, escort a handcuffed and shackled Sky Bouche, 19, center, to a waiting patrol car in Ocala. Bouche is the suspect in a shooting that occurred at Forest High School on Friday morning. [Doug Engle/Ocala Star-Banner via AP]

OCALA — The 19-year-old charged Friday with terrorism and a host of other charges after he shot into a door at a high school, which injured a student, remains in jail on the first Temporary Risk Protection Order that has been entered in the 5th Judicial Circuit.

Sky Bouche was arrested early Friday after he brought a sawed off shotgun into Forest High School in Ocala inside a guitar case and later fired the weapon into a door. Shrapnel hit a 17-year-old student in the ankle.

The new Temporary Risk Protection Order went into effect last month, enacted following the Valentine's Day shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, in which 17 people died.

Marion County Sheriff’s Office officials said that under the new law, if a law enforcement official believes a person poses a danger to themselves or others by possessing a firearm or ammunition the law enforcement agency can petition a court to have the individual immediately surrender the firearm and prohibit them from possessing or purchasing firearms for the duration of the court order.

A handcuffed Bouche made his first appearance in front of Judge Willard Pope on Saturday morning at the Marion County Jail, with a public defender by his side.

Pope read the list of charges — terrorism, aggravated assault with a firearm, carrying a concealed firearm, culpable negligence, possession of a firearm on school property, possession of a short-barrelled shotgun, interference in school property and armed trespass on school property — and told Bouche he will be held without bond.

Pope said the reason for the no bond status was due to the nature of the charges.

Bouche, who is on suicide watch at the jail, meaning he is under close watch, walked out of the courtroom with the public defender by his side.

Bouche's next court date was set for May 22.

According to MCSO Detective John Lightle’s report, Bouche drove a gray 2006 Nissan SUV onto the campus of Forest High School, at 5000 SE Maricamp Road, Ocala, early Friday. The report lists Bouche's current residence as being in Crystal River, in Citrus County. He was a former student at Forest High.

The report states that Bouche had a 17 1/2 inch shotgun concealed in a guitar case. He went into a bathroom, where he put on a tactical vest and gloves and then walked into a hallway with the weapon.

He fired a shot into a door. The shrapnel hit a 17-year-old boy on the other side of the door in the ankle.

Bouche dropped the weapon and surrendered to Kelly McManis-Panasuk, who had been one of his teachers when he was a student at the school.

McManis-Panasuk said when she encountered Bouche, ″His hands were up and he said he wanted to be arrested ... I am mentally ill,’” she said.

She said she asked him if he had shot a gun and he said yes. She yelled: “Where?”

She said he told her, “I shot a door. I didn’t think it (the gun) would work.”

The two of them talked for about three minutes, which was when Deputy Jim Long, the school resource officer, and  principal Brent Carson arrived at where they were standing. Long took Bouche into custody.

The school was immediately placed on lock down. Numerous local, state and federal law enforcement officials soon arrived at the school. Parents were advised to go to First Baptist Church of Ocala nearby. The students were ferried by school bus from the campus to the church to be reunited with their parents.

Bouche was taken to the Sheriff’s Office. He told detectives that he drove from Citrus County to the school and went into the bathroom to arm himself. He said he came out of the bathroom and saw a female student walk by him without noticing him. He said he fired a round in the door. He said he dropped the weapon and surrendered to the teacher.

Bouche told detectives that his purpose was to “inflict fear in students, but he did not intend to kill anyone.”

He told them he had planned to do some sort of shooting on Friday the 13th, but changed his mind. He said he was having nightmares, which prompted his decision to do the shooting on Friday.

Bouche also told detectives that he had researched a previous church shooting and said it did not get any media attention. He said with a school shooting, it “creates more attention.”

He also said he was being ignored and wanted to go to jail and that he could “potentially conduct another shooting in the future,” the report states.

In an interview with the Star-Banner not long after his arrest, Bouche said his first memories are of "violence and conflict." He said he had wanted to join the United States Marines Corps, but could not because he was "Baker Acted when I was 14."

The Baker Act allows officials to commit someone for mental health evaluation if he or she is deemed a threat to themselves or someone else.

Bouche told detectives that on Friday morning he felt an adrenaline rush and was ready for the shooting. He said when he arrived at the school, there was no one around so he entered the bathroom, got dressed and was ready for action.

He said the excitement wore off quickly, however, and he was unable to continue with his plan.

Bouche said he purchased the shotgun in a private sale roughly a week after the February school shooting in south Florida. He said there is no paperwork for the 1930 shotgun and because it was a private sale, there was no background check. He said he should never have been allowed to buy a firearm.

All Marion County schools were on lock down Friday as a precaution. Sheriff Billy Woods and school officials said during a midday press conference that lives were saved because of earlier protocols that had been put in place.

In a second press conference later in the day, it was announced that county and city of Ocala officials had committed to placing a school resource officer in every school starting Monday.