Cade Paulos, student dresses as Batman villain Two-Face, shoots himself in front of classmates
A 13-year-old Oklahoma student dressed as the Batman villain Two-Face, shot himself dead with a hand gun Thursday at an Stillwater junior high school, just minutes before classes were due to start.
The shocked students, many dressed up for “Super Hero Day,” heard the gunshot as eighth grader Cade Poulos took his own life, was dead in the hallway, according to classmates speaking to KOCO.
Terrified teenagers then fled the halls, fearing a gunman was on the loose.
According to a Facebook memorial page since created for the Stillwater Junior High student, bullying is a suspected motive for the boy’s death.
When asked whether Poulos had been bullied, Stillwater superintendent Ann Caine said the district had no records indicating such. However, police department spokesman Randy Dickerson said the investigation is just beginning.
Caine described Poulos as a good student with bright red hair and a big smile.
‘We all broke down and cried when we heard the gun shot. I hope people realize now that Bullying is NOT acceptable, and it hurts people in every way. Little words hurt. We know what you experienced. But we all love you, your [sic] in our prayers…’ a Facebook post in memorial of Cade read.
On Wednesday night, about 120 of Cade’s friends and community members packed into the Highland Park Methodist Church for a prayer service, according to the Tulsa World.
The church’s senior pastor, Rev Derrek Belase said during the service: ‘God created Cade, and God loved him until the very end. This morning, God welcomed him home.’