Special Report

03:07 PM PDT on Tuesday, September 23, 2003

KREM.com

The attorney representing the teen gunman critically injured in a standoff with police at Lewis & Clark High School in Spokane on Monday, issued a statement expressing their apologies for the incident. Here is the press release, issued Tuesday afternoon from the law office of Carl Hueber:

Sean Fitzpatrick, a 16-year-old junior at Lewis and Clark High School, remains in critical condition at Sacred Heart Medical Center. Sean was shot multiple times by police and sustained life-threatening injuries following yesterday's standoff at the school.

Sean is represented by Spokane attorney Carl Hueber. "He was apparently suffering from severe mental problems which had not been recognized by his family, friends or teachers. There is no indication that Sean intended to injure anyone other than himself. He will hopefully survive these injuries, and then we can begin the process of understanding how and why this happened," according to Hueber.

His father, Angel Fitzpatrick, and his mother, Dr. Linda Schearing, extend their apologies to the students, parents, school officials and the Spokane community who were so greatly impacted by yesterday's tragic events. Sean has no prior criminal problems. His parents are devastated and are at a loss to explain what happened. They are cooperating completely with the police investigation.

Sean's family would like to thank those who have expressed their concern in thoughts and prayer. "This is an incredibly difficult time for the family," said Hueber. They ask that the media respect their privacy by directing any inquiries to this office.