Teenager at Saugus High School shoots 5 fellow students, killing 2; suspect in grave condition
Pulling a handgun from his backpack as classes were about to start Thursday, a 16-year-old Saugus High School student shot five fellow students in a matter of seconds, killing two of them, before turning the gun on himself, authorities said.
The teenage suspect, whose motive for the attack wasn’t immediately known, was reported in grave condition late Thursday.
The shooting at the Santa Clarita school prompted a huge response from local and federal authorities, who worked to find the suspect and aid the wounded. Soon after the shooting, residents in the nearby neighborhood were told to shelter in place before investigators discovered that the shooter was among the wounded
Authorities said that surveillance video showed that just 16 seconds passed from the moment the unidentified suspect pulled the gun from his backpack to when he turned it on himself.
At 9:23 a.m. a 16-year-old girl was pronounced dead from her wounds. During a press conference just before noon, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said a 14-year-old boy had also succumbed to his injuries.
Two other girls, a 14- and 15-year-old, and also a 14-year-old boy, were in hospitals, recovering. One of them had been treated and released, authorities said at a 4 p.m. news conference at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital though it was unclear which student.
A sixth victim was also hospitalized for a non-shooting injury.
Terrified Saugus High School students flee from danger to a nearby home
At noon, Capt. Kent Wegener said investigators were at several scenes, including the quad area of the school, the suspect’s home and two hospitals. The suspect’s girlfriend and mother were at the sheriff’s station in Santa Clarita.
Late Thursday afternoon, a search warrant allowed investigators to comb through the suspect’s house.
Villanueva would not release the suspect’s name saying the department doesn’t release names of minors.
It appears, authorities said, that his targets were random.
“We have not yet established a motive or nexus between the subject and his victims other than to say they were all students at the high school together,” Wegener said.
Scenes from the #shooting at #Saugus high in #SantaClarita CA early Thursday morning. pic.twitter.com/MpWUVi2t5l
— David Crane (@vidcrane) November 14, 2019
This is an active shooter situation. The suspect described to be a male Asian, black clothing is outstanding.
— SCV Sheriff (@SCVSHERIFF) November 14, 2019
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Just after the shooting, all schools in the William S. Hart School Union High School District were put on lockdown. All schools were closed Friday, Nov. 15, the district later announced.
Just arrived at Saugus High School. Anxious family members are hanging behind at the school, as students are escorted, even though they are being asked to move to a nearby church where the students will be bused to the reunification site. pic.twitter.com/LE1Jdu9dOE
— Elizabeth Chou (@reporterliz) November 14, 2019
Families were directed to Central Park on Bouquet Canyon to be reunited with their children, with some waiting hours until that occurred.
Investigators said that students who witnessed the incident were being questioned by authorities but they were also hoping anyone who fled the campus before telling authorities what they saw would come forward.
Wegener told reporters at the 4 p.m. news conference that the shooter had the phrase: “Saugus have fun at school tomorrow” referring to the day of the shooting, written on his Instagram page. It has since been changed and investigators think it is possible someone other than the suspect has access to his profile.
At the same news conference, Villanueva said that some off-duty law enforcement officers who were dropping off family members at the school were the first on scene.
“He had just dropped off a family member at the school and was exiting,” he said about Detective Daniel Finn, who is assigned to the detective bureau at the sheriff’s Santa Clarita Station. “When he saw all the children running away from the sound of the gunfire.”
Two other police officers were doing the same thing and immediately sprang to help, Villanueva said.
“He was accompanied by Officer Sean Yanez from the Inglewood Police Department and then Officer Gus Ramirez from LAPD. So the three of them were the very first on scene and they entered the school literally within seconds of the shooting,” he said.
They used trauma kits that were at the school to help tend to the wounded students.
“They tended to the care of all of the victims and get the first aid rolling.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.