BARABOO, Wis. — The shooting death of high school principal John Klang by one of the students shocked the small farming community of Cazenovia.

Citizens in the town, which has a population of just 300, erected billboards proclaiming "Forever Changed. 9-29-06."

On Thursday morning, jury selection is set to begin for the trial of Eric Hainstock, 16, who allegedly shot and killed Klang, 49, with a .22-caliber revolver on Sept. 29, 2006.

Hainstock, who allegedly shot Klang when he was 15, is being tried as an adult on the charge of first-degree intentional homicide. He faces a potential sentence of life in prison if convicted.

The teen took his father's shotgun and handgun to school, looking to confront students who teased him with homophobic remarks and the teachers he felt failed to protect him from the taunting, according to the criminal complaint.

Story continues

Hainstock was also unhappy about a pending in-school suspension that Klang had issued him for throwing a stapler at a special education teacher and for possessing tobacco on school grounds, according to the complaint.

A school custodian was able to wrestle the shotgun away from Hainstock, but Hainstock allegedly broke free with the handgun.

Klang witnessed the struggle and attempted to tackle Hainstock in hopes of getting the gun, but as they fought for the weapon, the teen fired three shots that hit Klang in his head, left leg and abdomen.

Klang was rushed to the hospital but died shortly after he arrived from the abdominal wound.

The complaint suggests Hainstock had other victims in mind when he entered his high school that day. One of his fellow students told an investigator that Hainstock had said there was not going to be a homecoming that year, according to the complaint.

Sauk County District Attorney Patricia Barrett and Hainstock's attorney, Assistant Public Defender Jon Helland, both declined to comment on the case.

Hainstock's lawyers may argue that the teen grew up in a troubled home and had a history of abuse.

Court records indicate that Eric Hainstock was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder but never received treatment for the condition because his parents could not afford the costs of the medication and counseling.

After his parents' divorce proceeding, Sauk County Circuit Court Judge Patrick Taggart awarded custody of Eric to his father, Shawn Hainstock, while saying, "The court finds that both of these parents do have some serious limitations." Taggart will also be presiding over the teen's trial.

In 2000, the parental rights of his mother, Lisa Marie Buttke, were terminated in a sealed ruling.

One year later, Shawn Hainstock was charged with felony child abuse.

According to the criminal complaint, Hainstock kicked his son in the hip for failing to fill a pet's water dish and forced hot sauce or hot peppers in the boy's mouth for lying and using foul language.

The complaint also states that Shawn Hainstock disciplined his son with a wooden paddle that bore the words "the board of education."

In a deal with prosecutors, Shawn Hainstock pleaded no contest to one count of misdemeanor battery in 2002. The agreement allowed the charge to be dismissed if he met certain conditions, which he did. The charge was dismissed in 2003.

Hainstock's trial will be streamed live on Court TV Extra.