Washington (TIP): Parents receive information on children and officials discuss the Salvador Castro Middle School shooting in which two students were injured by gunfire, one critically.
A 12-year-old girl was in police custody Thursday after a shooting at Sal Castro Middle School injured four students.
The gunfire erupted in a classroom at the school in the Westlake neighborhood shortly after the opening bell and caused numerous students to run from the area, according to Los Angeles police Officer Drake Madison.
At least one student told a reporter they were in the classroom at the time of the shooting and said it was unintentional.
“Someone decided to bring a gun, I guess someone was accidentally playing around with it,” said Benjamin, a 13-year-old 7th grader, whose guardian asked that his last name not be used. “They thought it was a fake gun.”
When authorities responded around 8:55 a.m., they found a 15-year-old boy with a gunshot wound to the head and a 15-year-old girl shot in the wrist and three others with minor injuries.
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. The girl, who was shot in the left wrist, was in fair condition.
Three others — a 30-year-old woman, an 11-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl — also suffered minor injuries, including two from gunshots, health officials said.
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 suspected shooter was taken into custody and a firearm was recovered, officials said. Helicopter news footage showed two officers leading a handcuffed girl with long hair, jeans and a sweatshirt to a waiting squad car. Robert Arcos, a deputy chief with the Los Angeles Police Department, said it was too early to determine a motive in the shooting.
Investigators were still conducting interviews to determine whether the shooting was intentional or a “terrible accident,” he said.
In a morning news conference, Los Angeles School Police Chief Steve Zipperman said he did not know how a young person got access to a gun and brought it to campus, but warned gun owners to keep their weapons secure and away from children.
“Los Angeles has a law about the safe storage of weapons,” L.A. City Atty. Mike Feuer added. “Every responsible gun owner needs to take heed.”
There was no longer any danger at the school, Zipperman said, but the campus remained on lockdown. School officials directed parents to an information center at Belmont Avenue and Beverly Boulevard, or asked them to call (213) 241-1000 for information.
Students are to be dismissed on the school’s regular schedule, but parents can pick up their children earlier if they wish.
Throughout the morning and early afternoon Thursday, scores of parents anxiously awaited word on their children.
Tyresha McNair got to the school Thursday morning with her young niece. She had seen news of the shooting on TV and came to get her daughter, who is a student at the middle school.
“I saw it on the news and I came here to get my baby,” she said.
At the front gate of the school, McNair said she was directed to the back, which was blocked off. She said she had been texting her daughter, but hadn’t heard back.
“Any other time my baby would respond and she’s not responding,” McNair said. “I just want my daughter. I want my daughter.”
It was sometime after 9 a.m. when Rosario Hernandez, 41, got a phone call from her 16-year-son, Jimmy Romero, telling her a shooting had occurred at his brother’s school. Jimmy attends Belmont High School, which is across the street.
Hernandez left work and sped to the school campus.
She texted her 14-year-old son, Johnny Romero, whose number was listed under “Johnny baby,” and asked him if was OK.
When he finally responded, he told her they were still on lockdown and said the shooting had happened inside a seventh-grade classroom.
“She shot a girl and a boy,” he wrote.
“OMG,” Hernandez responded. “But why mijo.”
“I don’t know. Mom go home, I will tell you when we are not in lockdown.”
Hernandez said there are problems at the school, including bullying and gangs. She sat waiting with worried parents at a baseball field. Nearby, Laura Gonzalez waited to get Information from police and school district officials.
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