He says the shooter smiled, had evil look

March 6, 2001

SANTEE -- As shooting broke out yesterday morning at Santana High School, one student grabbed a camera and started recording it on film.

John Schardt, 17, a junior, said he recognized the boy with the handgun as a Santana student. He said the student came out of a boy's bathroom about 30 feet away from him, armed with a black handgun with a long barrel.

"He came out smiling," he recalled, "and fired a couple shots and went back inside. He had an evil, kind of sadistic look."

Schardt said he saw at least three students on the ground, apparently shot, and took pictures of them. He also took pictures when sheriff's deputies led the suspect -- Charles "Andy" Williams -- off campus.

"About five minutes after we started recording," he said, "the school went into lockdown mode."

He said sheriff's deputies then confiscated his video camera with the videotape inside as well as a still camera with its film.

Schardt said he had brought a 35mm camera to school because he is taking a photography class.

He said his history teacher, Bobby Seiner, actually heard the shots first and told several students about it near the end of first period, at about 9:20 a.m.

"My teacher waved out the window and said: 'Hey, someone's shooting out there!,' " Schardt said. "So I went and got my camera and went out there and saw people trying to get away from the shooter. I took several pictures and some friends told me 'Come on back inside' " the classroom.

But he decided to stay outside and keep taking pictures. He said he wanted to record it for other students and the community.

The rest of the morning and afternoon, Schardt spent describing what he witnessed to law enforcement officers, and to television, radio and print media from around the nation.