GOLDEN, Colo. ? A man accused of shooting and wounding two students outside a Colorado middle school last year was found not guilty by reason of insanity on a charge of attempted first-degree murder Wednesday.
Jurors did find Bruco Strong Eagle Eastwood guilty on one count, possession of a weapon on school grounds.
Eastwood was charged with opening fire outside Deer Creek Middle School in suburban Denver in February 2010. The attack was reminiscent of the 1999 mass shooting at nearby Columbine High School.
Teachers David Benke and Norm Hanne were hailed as heroes for tackling the shooter and holding him until deputies arrived.
Eastwood was charged with a total of 15 crimes. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity on all but the weapons charge, which carries a sentence of up to 1 1/2 years in prison.
Defense attorney Katherine Spengler said she would appeal that conviction.
Eastwood has been at the Colorado Mental Health Institute in Pueblo since the summer of 2010, Spengler said.
Defense lawyers showed jurors portions of Eastwood's rambling journal that referred to mutants or transformers that were taking over his body.
"They want me to have nothing. Instead, they have me suffering, alive but in pain," Eastwood noted in one entry.
Eastwood had written in his notebook before last year's shooting that the voices were becoming more threatening. The notebook included doodles of a man under attack.
Prosecutors told the jury that Eastwood knew the difference between right and wrong when he shot the two children as they were leaving their school.
"He yelled that they were going to die," King said. "He knew it was wrong and his behavior can't be excused."
Prosecutors said Eastwood approached a group of students and asked, "Do you like going to this school?" before shooting student Reagan Webber in the arm.
He then aimed at Matt Thieu, who was running away, prosecutors said. Thieu suffered a chest wound the size of a saucer plate.
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