He had a 20-gauge pump shotgun, which police say he personally sawed off.
He had three shells.
And he had a plan.
The 12-year-old had all these when he entered a Roswell, New Mexico, middle school gymnasium and opened fire, State Police Chief Pete Kassetas said Wednesday.
His first shot, which Kassetas characterized as "birdshot," hit the ceiling. The second went into the gym floor. The third sped toward the stands where, some 12 to 15 feet away, it hit two of a throng of students who had been waiting for classes to start.
"The victims were random," the state police chief said.
Having carried out three search warrants and conducted at least 60 "primary interviews," Kassetas laid out these and other details related to Tuesday morning's shooting at Berrendo Middle School. But he didn't disclose everything, including the preteen shooter's possible motive.
"We did find evidence that the suspect had planned this event," Kassetas said. "I can't discuss the particulars as to why."
It's a question that many in Roswell, an eastern New Mexico city of just under 50,000 people, continue to ask themselves. That, and what do they do now.
The suspect's parents, Jim and Jennifer Campbell, and grandparents, Robert and Nancy Bowles, issued a statement Wednesday saying they are "praying that God will be with everyone who has been affected." The family singled out the two hospitalized victims, in particular.
They didn't try to explain the shooter's actions, which left "his whole family ... heart broken," though they didn't ignore his impact.
"For all of the anguish that many suffered yesterday," his parents and grandparents said, "our family offers our heartfelt condolences and remorse in words that we cannot fully express."
The preteen faces three counts of aggravated battery, according to New Mexico state juvenile court documents obtained by CNN affiliate KOAT.
1 student's condition critical, another is stable
Berrendo Middle was closed Wednesday, but it will reopen Thursday. When it does, its teachers will all become counselors, charged with helping their students deal with this tragedy even if they are scarred themselves.
School district Superintendent Tom Burris said he told those teachers: "It's a face of courage, it's a face of love, and it's a face of positive that you have to put on for every one of our kids. ... You are the leader that is going to lead these kids back (from) where they've been in the last two days."
Two students will not be among them.
They include 13-year-old Kendal Sanders, who Gov. Susana Martinez said suffered injuries to her right shoulder in the shooting.
Her family got good news Tuesday night when doctors at University Medical Center in Lubbock, Texas -- about 175 miles east of the school -- upgraded her to stable condition. Kendal is likely to remain hospitalized for a week or more, the governor said.
The other victim, who is 12 and whom officials aren't naming because of a request from his family, suffered injuries to the side of his face and neck, Martinez said. This boy has undergone at least two surgeries since the incident.
"He is in worse condition than Kendal," the governor said Wednesday afternoon, "and is still listed in critical condition."
As they recover in the west Texas hospital, Martinez urged people to keep praying for them and others affected by the violence.
"We want to be able to welcome them home," the governor said. "We don't want ... the extreme tragedy of losing either one of them."
Police: Suspect took parents' gun
Another student, of course, who will be missing is the suspect.
He is being held at an unspecified location in Albuquerque and has met with his parents, Kassetas said.
In their statement, the parents indicated a judge "ordered ... our son receive an evaluation and mental health treatment and sincerely want him to receive all of the help that he needs."
"As a family we will cooperate in all ways with law enforcement to piece together how this awful tragedy occurred," they said, voicing confidence in law enforcement, the local district attorney and the judicial system.
Kassetas did say the shotgun came from the suspect's home. His father bought the gun -- the only one of several weapons in the house not locked up in a safe -- some time ago at Walmart, according to a law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation.
Authorities believe the 12-year-old "modified the weapon by cutting off the stock," Kassetas said.
Three search warrants have been executed in connection with the investigation: on the suspect's locker, his duffel bag and his Roswell home.
While the state police chief didn't elaborate, the law enforcement source said the suspect kept a handwritten journal at home describing "what he was planning, what he wanted to do."
But just before he fired, authorities believe the suspect gave "preliminary warnings ... to some select students who he ran into before he entered the gymnasium," Kassetas said.
(ALSO)
Indiana grocery store employees, police praised for response to fatal shooting
Employees at an Indiana grocery store helped lead terrified customers outside as a gunman prowled around the aisles Wednesday night, shooting and killing two people before he was taken out by police, authorities say.
Indiana State Police Sgt. Trent Smith said the gunman, Shawn Walter Bair, 22, was a regular at Martin's Super Market in Elkhart, and that there never have been any problems with him in the past. Smith credited Elkhart police and store employees for a quick response to the shooting, saying their actions saved lives.
At a news conference Thursday morning, Smith said Bair entered the store around 9:30 p.m. local time Wednesday and walked around for a half hour before leaving.
A security guard who knew Bair became suspicious as he watched the man because he wasn't buying anything.
"He took his time. I think he might have been hesitant while he was in the store. But whether he was watching people or picking out people, we'll never know," Smith said.
Bair then returned with a semi-automatic handgun and shot and killed a 20-year-old female employee, according to Smith.
Bair ran into another employee of the store and fired at her after having verbal exchanges, but she was able to escape, Smith said, citing video surveillance footage.
The second victim, a 44-year-old female customer, was shot multiple times about 12 aisles apart from where the first victim was gunned down, authorities said. The identities of the victims were not disclosed, pending notification of their relatives.
Smith said a store manager who was trying to figure out what was going on turned a corner and encountered Bair, who pointed his gun at the manager's face.
Smith said city police received a call about a gunman in the store shortly after 10 p.m. Officers who were nearby on an unrelated call arrived within three minutes and found the manager on his knees on the floor as if in prayer. Elkhart police shot and killed Bair and the store manager was able to escape after being held hostage for about 10 minutes, Smith said.
No motive for the shooting has been determined yet, but police say Bair might have had a relationship with one of the victims.
“The bravery and quick response of the Elkhart Police Department saved lives. No doubt,” Smith said.
Smith added that a couple of employees at the store also helped customers escape harm.
Police found a large caliber, semi-automatic handgun and a large knife near Bair, Fox 28 reports . Several rounds of ammunition were fired by the suspect and police officers during the incident, according to the report.
(PLUS)
2 students shot in Philadelphia high school gym
A young male pulled a handgun Friday afternoon inside a Philadelphia high school gymnasium, firing and hitting two fellow students, police said.
The injured boy and girl, each 15, were transported in stable condition after being shot in the arm just before 3:30 p.m., Philadelphia police Lt. John Stanford said.
The students were among about seven in the Delaware Valley Charter High School gym at that time -- some playing basketball, others in one corner -- according to city police Commissioner Charles Ramsey.
"The suspect is part of that group," Ramsey said.
Both victims appeared to have been struck once inside the gym of Delaware Valley Charter High School, said Stanford. Ramsey said that authorities didn't know yet if they were struck by the same bullet or more than one, noting that no shell was found at the scene.
He described their wounds as non-life threatening.
The school went into lockdown as law enforcement officers cleared it and hunted for the suspect, who had left the building, according to Stanford.
The police lieutenant said students were searched and then let out of the school. He also said surveillance video had captured the incident.
A short time later, Philadelphia police tweeted they had a suspect in custody. Officer Jillian Russell, a police spokeswoman, said he was 17 years old.
Ramsey later said authorities were able to "identify him right away," after which officers were sent to his home.
"We were able to grab him," the police commissioner said. "We did not recover the gun, but we do have him in custody and he has been positively identified."
But a few hours later, Stanford said that young man was not the shooter as police initially thought, though he was at the scene. He was "completely cleared by investigators and released" later that night, the police lieutenant said.
By then, Philadelphia police had announced they were "still looking for additional suspects." This includes searching for a weapon possibly used in the shooting in trash cans, along the tracks and other spots around the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority's Olney station, SEPTA spokesman Andrew Busch said.
While a gun hadn't been found by 9 p.m., Stanford said one of the two young males authorities had been looking for had turned himself in. A third male wanted by police had been expected to do the same but had not turned himself in as of 10:45 p.m., added the police spokesman.
All three youths are Delaware Valley Charter High School students. It is not clear if any of them are, in fact, the shooter. No one had been charged as of Friday night.
Asked about what might have prompted the shooting, Ramsey said, "We don't know the motives -- don't know if it was an accident, don't know if it was intentional."
Located in the Olney section of Philadelphia, Delaware Valley Charter High School is open to any student who lives in the city.
Isa 19:2 And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.
Isaiah 47:11 Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it off: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly,which thou shalt not know.
No comments:
Post a Comment