Two 15-year-old students were shot today inside a Los Angeles Middle School. A teen girl was handcuffed and led away by police. From KTLA in Los Angeles:
Two students were shot, and at least three others were wounded, after a shooting in a classroom at Sal Castro Middle School in the Westlake District on Thursday morning, and a girl described as a “person of interest” is in custody, authorities said…
Sgt. Edward Bernal of the Los Angeles School Police Department said two students were shot, and that the victims — a 15-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl — were transported to a local hospital.
The boy, who was shot in the head, is in critical but stable condition, according to the Capt. Erik Scott of the Los Angeles Fire Department. The female victim had a gunshot wound to the wrist and is in fair condition…
Multiple officials initially said the suspect was in custody, but later described the student as a person of interest. She is described as a girl; authorities have not released her age or name.
Two hours ago the LA School Police were saying they had a “suspect” in custody:
Confirmed shooting on the campus of Salvador Castro Middle School co-located on Belmont HS.
Suspect is in custody. 2 confirmed victims with non life threatening injuries have been transported to a local hospital.
Investigation is ongoing. #LAUSD #LASchoolPolice #SchoolShooting— LA School Police (@LASchoolPolice) February 1, 2018
Here’s the image circulating of the “person of interest” though KTLA makes clear police have not yet said whether the girl pictured here is their main suspect.
Update: One person detained following shooting on campus of Belmont High School/Sal Castro Middle School. Watch live: https://t.co/2T4xjKUCQ1 pic.twitter.com/LOfbr8zNHT
— KTLA (@KTLA) February 1, 2018
#LAPD: Los Angeles Officials updating the media on the School Shooting on Sal Castro Middle School, co-located on Belmont High. A hotline has been setup for parents information 213-241-1000. Student reunification will be at Crown Hill and Loma. pic.twitter.com/G19SG6ri7Q
— LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) February 1, 2018
As is always the case when this happens there were understandably worried parents desperately wanting to hear from their children. This mom says her son called in tears saying he heard the shot in a nearby classroom.
The school was locked down for quite a while but apparently, the plan is for the school day to continue:
"The campus is safe," says #LAUSD Supt. @vivianekchian, who says support for kids is on-site now.
"I'll make sure I'm here with the last child leaving this campus … We're incredibly saddened by the fact that it happened."
— Kyle Stokes (@kystokes) February 1, 2018
Here’s video of the press conference given by various public information officers and the Chief of the LA School Police:
I’ll update this post as more information is made available.
Update: This was circulating earlier but now everyone is reporting it. The female “person of interest” is a 12-year-old girl. From the LA Times:
A 12-year-old girl was in police custody Thursday after a shooting at Salvador Castro Middle School injured four students.
Also some good news about the most seriously injured victim:
The boy, who was shot in the temple, was in stable condition Thursday afternoon, and was expected to fully recover, according to Dr. Carl Chudnofsky, of L.A. County-USC Medical Center…
At a news conference outside the hospital on Thursday, Dr. Aaron Strumwasser said the 15-year-old boy was extremely lucky because the bullet wound failed to cause serious damage. “I think he will do fine,” Strumwasser said.
The other gunshot victim, a 15-year-old girl who was shot in the wrist, is listed in fair condition.
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