Los Angeles Middle School Shooting Leaves Two Students Injured, Suspect In Custody

A middle school in Los Angeles, California was placed on lockdown early Thursday morning after a shooting occurred inside of a classroom. NBC News reported that just shortly before 9 a.m., the Los Angeles Police Department received a call of shots fired at Sal Castro Middle School in the West Lake District, located in the 1500 block of West Second Street.

When police and emergency crew arrived at the scene, it was discovered that two 15-year-old students, a boy and a girl, were shot. Paramedics transported the students to an area hospital, according to Sgt. Edward Bernal of Los Angeles Unified District Police Department. It was reported that the boy was shot in the head, and he is listed in critical but stable condition. The girl was shot in the wrist and is said to be in fair condition.

Steven Zipperman, chief of the Los Angeles School System Police Department, who called the Sal Castro Middle School shooting “traumatic,” stated that three other people, aged 11, 12, and 30, suffered minor injuries during the school shooting, but it stemmed from “peripheral stuff.”

The circumstances leading up to the Sal Castro Middle School shooting is unknown at this time, but officials say that the suspect, believed to be a 12-year-old female student, is in custody. A spokesperson with the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that the shooting suspect was found with a firearm.

Today's school shooting in L.A. was reported at Belmont High School, but the campus also shares a property with Castro Middle School. “We're still trying to get that information,” an officer said https://t.co/oIe5jncJqM pic.twitter.com/g4ILgDr3nq

— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) February 1, 2018

Helicopter footage captured the moment Los Angeles police officers escorted the suspected shooting suspect, who was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, out of the building, which is adjacent to Belmont High School, in handcuffs. She was placed in a waiting squad car, according to KTLA.

Police officials have not released the names of the victims or the suspected shooter.

Zipperman stated that Sal Castro Middle School is now safe, and there is no further danger on the campus, but the school remains on lockdown. Parents were informed that the students would be dismissed at the school’s regular schedule, but if they wanted, they could pick up their child early.

A motive for the middle school shooting remains unknown, but law enforcement officers are investigating to find out if it was an accident or intentional.