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Two Dead, 13 Wounded, 15-Year-Old In Custody In U.S. School Shooting
SANTEE, California, March 5 (News Agencies) - A 15-year-old boy who shot and killed two classmates and injured 13 Monday at a high school here will be charged as an adult under state law, officials said.
The suspect, who was immediately taken into custody following the shooting at Santana High School in this San Diego suburb, will face charges of murder, assault with a deadly weapon and various gun possession charges at his arraignment Wednesday, said San Diego County District Attorney Paul Pfingst. Authorities did not release his name.
"God willing no one else will die," Pfingst said. "You've heard it before and I'll say it again; we never thought it could happen here."
Californians in November approved Proposition 21, which mandates that juveniles under 18 be tried as adults for serious crimes and serve longer sentences as befits those crimes. The proposition was created as an effort to deter gang-related violence.
Police Lieutenant Jerry Lewis said the suspect fired eight or nine shots out of a .22-caliber revolver, reloading at least once.
The boy, a student at the school, fired shots at 9:22 am (1722 GMT). A sheriff's deputy teaching a class at the school of about 1,900 students arrived on the scene "within moments," said San Diego County Sheriff William Kolender.
"There were people lying on the ground," he said. "The suspect was apprehended without incident."
Sheriff's deputy Ali Perez, the first to arrive at the scene, said he and his partners entered a bathroom where the suspect was kneeling with the gun in his hands. Surveying the situation to ensure no one else was involved, the officers apprehended and handcuffed the suspect.
"He told me, 'it's only me,'" Perez said at a news conference. "That lightened the load a little bit."
Thirteen people, including both staff and students, were hospitalized, with "injuries all consistent with what appears to be gunshot wounds," said Jeff Fehlberg of the Heartland Fire Department.
One student died on the scene, Fehlberg said. The second died in hospital despite frantic attempts by doctors to save him. Some adults were among those wounded, but a hospital spokesman said most of the injuries were not life threatening.
"We are shocked and dismayed," said Dianne Jacob, a county supervisor. "But we are not going to let shots fired today pierce the heart of this community. We will survive."
In Washington, President George W. Bush said the incident was a "disgraceful act of cowardice.
"When America teaches her children right from wrong and teaches values that respect life in our country, our country will be better off," Bush said. "But I do know that first things are first, and that is our prayers go with the families who lost a child today."
Kolender said students and staff were evacuated from the school grounds to a nearby mall. A federal bomb squad surveyed the area to ensure no bombs were planted near the school.
"This is my worst nightmare," said Karen Degischer, the high school's principal. "This is certainly not a normal day."
Counseling has been made available for students, faculty and staff at the high school, which will be closed Tuesday.
"I have been mayor of Santee for nine weeks, but even if I had been mayor for 900 years I would not have been prepared for this," Santee Mayor Randy Voepel said.
"This was one of our children, and I am here to tell you it can happen in any town in America if it can happen in Santee."
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