Teen Dies By Suicide In Class
‘Jeremy’ by Pearl Jam was inspired by Jeremy Delle’s suicide.
On January 8, 1991, 15-year-old Jeremy Wade Delle arrived late for his second-period English class at Richardson High School in Richardson, Texas. His teacher, Miss Faye Barnett, told him to get an admittance slip from the school office.
Instead of going to the office, Jeremy went to his locker and took out a Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum revolver. He returned to the classroom and stood in front of his teacher and about 30 students. “Miss, I got what I really went for”, Jeremy said.
He then put the barrel in his mouth and pulled the trigger.
Brian Jackson had been at his locker in the hallway when he heard a loud bang from the classroom and thought someone had slammed a book on a table. He realized something bad had happened when a girl ran out of the classroom crying.
He decided to look inside the classroom and saw Jeremy on the floor bleeding. Miss Barnett was standing against a wall, in shock, and most of the students were huddled in the back of the room.
Howard Perre Felman was in a nearby classroom when he heard the bang. He thought the students were just playing around until he heard a girl screaming in the hallway.
