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| The shooting suspect is Nathaniel Berhow, a students at Saugus High School. |
Two students are dead, another critically injured and three others are wounded in a school shooting Thursday morning (Nov. 14) at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, California. NBC News reports the suspect, a 16-year-old Asian American is in police custody.
The students who died were a 16-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy, the authorities said. The other victims, all injured by gunfire, were identified as a 14-year-old girl, a 15-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy, reports the New York Times.
The student in critical condition is the shooting suspect, who CBS News has identified as Nathaniel Berhow, a junior at the school.
Authorities said during a news conference that the shooting suspect's birthday was Thursday and that he used a .45-caliber handgun which was found with zero rounds in it. They say school security footage shows the boy pulling out his weapon and shooting five people before shooting himself.
According to NBC News, the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Office tweeted just before 8 a.m. PST to avoid the area of Saugus High School.
The suspect, who was dressed in all black Thursday, is in grave condition, say authorities, who didn't identify him because he is a minor. However, classmates who know the suspect say he's an ordinary, quiet students, on sports teams and has a girlfriend. Thursday was his 16th birthday.
The motive for the shooting is unknown, say authorities.
"With a heavy heart, we're going to move on with the investigation and figure out what went wrong," said Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva. "I hate to have Saugus be added to the names of Columbine, Parkland, Sandy Hook, but it's a reality that affects us all throughout the nation -- something that we're going to have to figure out."
Media reports and classmates say that since his father died two years ago, he's gotten quieter. He's been living with his mother, who was born in Japan. The family has lived in Santra Clarita for 20 years.
Police searched Berhow's home and recovered several guns supposedly owned by the father.
Several law enforcement sources told NBC4 that deputies from the Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Office detained the suspect's father for a mental health evaluation.
As a result of that incident, deputies confiscated a number of firearms from the home. Sources told NBC that the father would not be allowed to legally purchase a gun in California. Apparently the father was able to buy replacement guns, either illegally or by purchasing the weapons in other states then illegally transporting the guns back to California.
The student in critical condition is the shooting suspect, who CBS News has identified as Nathaniel Berhow, a junior at the school.
Authorities said during a news conference that the shooting suspect's birthday was Thursday and that he used a .45-caliber handgun which was found with zero rounds in it. They say school security footage shows the boy pulling out his weapon and shooting five people before shooting himself.
According to NBC News, the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Office tweeted just before 8 a.m. PST to avoid the area of Saugus High School.
The suspect, who was dressed in all black Thursday, is in grave condition, say authorities, who didn't identify him because he is a minor. However, classmates who know the suspect say he's an ordinary, quiet students, on sports teams and has a girlfriend. Thursday was his 16th birthday.
The motive for the shooting is unknown, say authorities.
"With a heavy heart, we're going to move on with the investigation and figure out what went wrong," said Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva. "I hate to have Saugus be added to the names of Columbine, Parkland, Sandy Hook, but it's a reality that affects us all throughout the nation -- something that we're going to have to figure out."
Media reports and classmates say that since his father died two years ago, he's gotten quieter. He's been living with his mother, who was born in Japan. The family has lived in Santra Clarita for 20 years.
Police searched Berhow's home and recovered several guns supposedly owned by the father.
Several law enforcement sources told NBC4 that deputies from the Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Office detained the suspect's father for a mental health evaluation.
As a result of that incident, deputies confiscated a number of firearms from the home. Sources told NBC that the father would not be allowed to legally purchase a gun in California. Apparently the father was able to buy replacement guns, either illegally or by purchasing the weapons in other states then illegally transporting the guns back to California.
Santa Clarita is a bedroom community just north of Los Angeles. Its demographics: 48.3% non-Hispanic white, 32.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 4.2% black or African American and almost 1% American Indian. The student body of the school closely corresponds with the city's demographics.
The shooting occurred just before school began. The school has had suspected-shooter drills and clustered in classroom while other fled away from the sound of gunshots.
Kaitlin Holt, a choir teacher is being called a hero after she treated one of the wounded students in the aftermath of the shooting.The shooting occurred just before school began. The school has had suspected-shooter drills and clustered in classroom while other fled away from the sound of gunshots.
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SCREEN CAPTURE / ABC
Teacher Kaitlin Holt helped a wounded student. |
Holt says many students ran into her classroom Thursday morning, including one shooting victim who was wounded in her shoulder and her side.
"I've never experienced such a strong fight or flight situation. I'm not typically a calm person but in that situation for my students I think that kind of kicks in," she told ABC News.
Holt covered the student's gunshot wounds to her right "side" and left shoulder.
"She was really strong, she was really great. She was joking with me. She was like 'I'm going to be home schooled after this.' She was doing well, as much as I could say."
In another part of the school, says parent George Atilano, his 14-year old daughter Raquel, was at band practice. She told him that practic had just begun when students started rushing into the classroom saying there was a shooter.
Atilano said the band director went outside to confirm that there was indeed a shooter then came back in and started finding places where students could be kept out of sight, including an office and library. “He rounded kids up and shoved them in there,” Atilano said. The group was rescued about 20 minutes later.
AsAm News contributed to this report.
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