Principal shot in the ass

A student who was expelled from a San Anselmo high school last fall returned for graduation ceremonies and shot the principal with a pellet gun as the principal handed out diplomas, police said.

William Castle, 18, allegedly hid in the bushes in a creek area behind the stage on Friday night and shot Don Drake, principal of Sir Francis Drake High School, San Anselmo police spokeswoman Julie Gorwood said.

Police say Castle admitted to shooting his former principal as a "prank" and intended to hit him in his backside. Instead, the pellet clipped Drake's thumb.

"He told police that his intent was to fire a pellet in my ass and then walk off and feel better about it,'' said Drake, who said he quickly realized he had been shot by a pellet gun, but continued to hand out the last few diplomas to graduating seniors. After some final words to the Class of 2006, Drake said he walked off stage and told police he'd been shot.

San Anselmo police were at the graduation to help with traffic when an anonymous caller phoned the Police Department with a tip that a former student planned to shoot the school's principal.

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