Attorneys have given their opening arguments in the trial of a North Carolina man accused of killing his father and opening fire on a high school.

Multiple media outlets reported Monday that 22-year-old Alvaro Rafael Castillo of Hillsborough pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to several charges, including first-degree murder.

Castillo is accused of fatally shooting Rafael Huezo Castillo on Aug. 30, 2006, then driving to Orange County High School, where he opened fire. Two students suffered minor injuries.

Orange County District Attorney Jim Woodall said Castillo told officers that he had killed his father earlier in the day.

Public defender James Williams detailed claims by Castillo about his childhood saying Castillo's father was abusive and his mother sought help to get out of the relationship of domestic violence.  But Castillo's parents remained together.

"He [Castillo] could never stand up to his dad.  He was too afraid," said Williams.

Williams said Castillo was "depressed and psychotic" at the time of the alleged shooting at Orange High School. Williams said Castillio believed God told Castillo it was his mission to sacrifice students at OHS, as well as his family, in order to save them.

The state called several witnesses Monday who talked about what they remember on the day of the shooting.

"I looked over and saw him with it straight up in the air, he fired a shot and he lowered it," said one student.

"He had the gun in front of him, he didn't really have it to his shoulder aiming, he looked over the barrel and started rapid firing toward the building," said one teacher.

Jeff Dishmon, the principal at Orange County High at the time of the shooting, took the stand Monday. 

Dishmon said soon after the shooting the accused gunman told a deputy to, "'Please kill me.  I want to die.'" 

The gunman then got down on his knees and yelled, "'Remember Columbine!'"

Andrew Hunt was a senior at Orange County High School during the incident and witnessed the shooting. Hunt said it looked like someone lit fireworks when he saw a cloud of smoke and flashes of light in the school's parking lot area.

"We thought it was a senior prank or something and I looked back out and it appeared he went over to the van, got something from the van and I didn't even see him with a weapon; and the next thing that happened was a bullet came though the window about a foot or two away from me on the left side and from then I looked at one of my friends he yelled, 'Everybody get down," said Hunt.

"Well we ran instead of got down."

Hunt suffered minor injuries from a shard of glass that pierced his shoulder after a bullet shattered a hallway window near him.

Williams said Castillo received mental health treatment prior to the shootings.

The state will continue to call witnesses on Tuesday. The trial is expected to last at least through this week.