On Thursday morning, a gunman opened fire at a high school in Santa Clarita, California, killing two and wounding three others, the New York Times reports. The story is still developing. Here’s everything we know so far.
At approximately 7:30 a.m. local time, an unidentified gunman wielding a .45 caliber handgun opened fire at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, which is just north of Los Angeles, authorities told the Times. The gunman then shot himself in the head. In response, both Saugus — which has a student body of approximately 2,300 — and neighboring elementary schools were put on lockdown.
According to officials, a 14-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl were killed, and three other students were injured. The wounded students are currently being treated at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital. Their conditions are not known.
So far, not much. Per the New York Times, one suspect — a male who is a student at the school — is in custody and currently being treated for a gunshot wound to the head at the hospital, according to Sheriff Alex Villanueva of Los Angeles County. The suspect’s name has not yet been made public, but his age has: Authorities told the Los Angeles Times that today is his 16th birthday. He is currently in grave condition.
According to gun-safety organization Everytown, at least 84 shootings have taken place on school grounds in 2019, at least 30 of which have resulted in injury and/or death.
In an interview with the Times, Jeremy Thompson, a father of two Saugus students, said he learned of the shooting after his younger son called him. His son then continued to send him updates via text, which Thompson found distressingly short and unaffected. “You would expect them to be more affected,” he told the Times, “but it’s just the reality that has plagued kids for so many years at this point.” When he arrived at the school, though, Thompson said students were “huddled together in tears.”
This post has been updated.
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