Teenage shooter is arrested after wounding two 17-year-old male and female students at Virginia high school: Cops storm building in 'major incident'
Two students were shot as Virginia police responded to reports of a 'major incident' at a high school on Monday at around noon. The alleged shooter, a teenage boy, was taken into custody a short time later.
A 17-year-old boy was shot in the side of his face while a 17-year-old girl suffered a gunshot wound to her lower leg after the incident on Monday before noon at Heritage High School in Newport News.
Police have not named the suspect or the two injured students.
FBI and local law enforcement officials 'surgically' combed the building in search of a suspect, who was later tracked down by investigators off the school's campus, officials said.
The school was in lockdown for two hours.
Omahri Thompson, 13, left, comforts his grandmother Kim Thompson, center, as his mother, Roneeka Blount, right, looks on after a shooting at Heritage High School in Newport News, Virginia
People console one another outside Heritage High School, near the tennis courts, following a shooting at the school on Monday. Students were evacuated to the tennis courts and parents were allowed to reunite with them there
Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew addresses the media during an update of a shooting at Heritage High School in Newport News
'I don't want to tell you about motive right now until I get that shored up, but I don't think this was an individual that just came here as some random act — the individuals knew each other and we'll get to the reason why it happened,' Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew said
The chief of police told reporters he believes the shooter knew the victims and that the incident was precipitated by an earlier altercation. He declined to say if the suspect was a student
A woman watches as Newport News police officers and Virginia state troopers respond to the scene of a shooting at Heritage High School in Newport News
Word of the shooting spread quickly on social media and families quickly began gathering outside the school, anxious to learn if their children were safe.
'No superintendent, no teacher or principal would want to ever go through this situation,' Superintendent George Parker said. 'Just seeing the faces of our students and how afraid they were under these circumstances and our staff who were traumatized. … No one would want to go through these circumstances.'
'It's very disappointing. Everybody in here's life just got put in danger over one student wanting to bring a gun to the school,' Heritage High School senior Dominic Banks told the Virginian-Pilot.
'Now, you can't come to school to learn. They can't keep it outside. They got to bring it into the school with other students. I'm disappointed because everybody in here's life just got put in danger because of one student wanting to bring a gun to school.'
Other students also took time to recount what had happened when Monday morning class turned into madness.
'We sat down for like five minutes and that's when a cop came in and told us to stay down,' 15-year-old student Jordan Gaston said. 'Then we heard an announcement from the principal and he told us that we were in a lockdown. And then we heard another announcement telling the teachers to take roll.'
'We heard on the announcements 'lockdown, lockdown.' At first, we thought it was a drill,' Jayden Swilling said to 13NewsNow. 'Then they said it is a shooter in the school. We all was in the corner and we was quiet.'
A female student, Tiyanna Osborne, said gunshots rang out around lunchtime and she was pushed to the ground in the rush to get outside
'Everyone started running and pushing me over. I did fall to the ground for a split second but I had enough strength to get up and run out of there as fast as I could.'
Police officers responded to Heritage High School in Newport News, Virginia on Monday after reports of an active shooter
Newport News Police Department Tactical Operations Unit members are seen above at the school after the shooting
Students were evacuated from the school and directed to go to outdoor tennis courts on the campus grounds
Yellow tape put up by police is seen on the campus grounds in Newport News on Monday
Locals gather outside of the school in Newport News, Virginia on Monday
A heavy police presence was seen at the school in Newport News, Virginia on Monday
People embrace outside Heritage High School as Newport News Police are on scene
The chief of police told reporters he believes the shooter knew the victims and that the incident was precipitated by an earlier altercation. He declined to say if the suspect was a student.
'We do believe that they knew each other … I don't believe that this is an individual that is searching the community to hurt members,' Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew said on Monday.
Drew said that police were first notified of an emergency at 11:38am on Monday.
'I don't want to tell you about motive right now until I get that shored up, but I don't think this was an individual that just came here as some random act — the individuals knew each other and we'll get to the reason why it happened,' Drew said.
'We do the best we can to prepare, but this is different — there's real human emotion. I will tell you, there are some who I will encourage — that's a nice way of saying they're going to talk to the psychologist to make sure everyone is OK.'
Police said that the two students who were shot were rushed to hospital with injuries that are non-life-threatening.
Investigators said that they did not believe there was a danger to the community as the shooter is believed to have known the shooting victims.
Two other students were transported to hospital for non-serious injuries sustained during the evacuation of the building. One of the students fell while evacuating the building while another student was treated for asthma.
Students were being evacuated from the school as witnesses said there was a massive police presence in the area.
Reports indicate that students were being directed to go to the campus' outdoor tennis courts while officers storm the building, according to WAVY-TV.
Parents were told to meet their children at the tennis court. A nearby school, the Achievable Dream Academy, was also placed on lockdown.
A school shooting has been reported at Heritage High School in Newport News, Virginia on Monday (seen in the above file photo)
The student body at Heritage numbers 1,200 students. The building is also home to a middle school attended by some 120 students.
The chief of police said that evidence has been uncovered on the school grounds, but he would not go into detail.
The student body at Heritage numbers 1,200 students. The building is also home to a middle school attended by some 120 students.
Drew said that rumors that there were other active shooters at nearby schools were false.
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