A 14 yr old student at SuccessTech Academy, angry after having being suspended for fighting from school, shoots two students, ages 18 (one news article says age 17) and 14, and two adults, ages 57 and 42, then killed himself.
Reuters reports that a 14 yr old girl was also injured from a fall during the incident.
Jackson also said a third student, a 14-year-old girl, was injured in a fall during the incident at SuccessTech Academy, a specialized school that concentrates on math and technology.
Latisha Hill, a student told one television station students began taking cover when the emergency command was announced and she locked herself in a bathroom until police knocked on the door and let her out.
"All I know is I heard the principal yell 'code blue'," Hill said.
The incident was the latest in a string of shootings in recent years in schools that have shaken the United States. A student at Virginia Tech college killed 32 students and staff in April, then himself, in the worst shooting rampage in modern U.S. history.
From Fox 8:
The two additional shooting victims are both male teachers, ages 57 and 42. According to MetroHealth Medical Center, the 57-year-old male is listed in good condition, and the 42-year-old male is still being evaluated.
A 14-year-old girl was injured as she ran from the building.
Fox 8's Belinda Prinz reports that the shooting took place during 10th period. A "Code Blue" was alerted to students and staff over the loudspeaker, which means there has been a shooting at the school. Students and teachers hid in various areas of the school. The school has since been evacuated; however, it was unknown for sometime whether there were still some people hiding in various areas of the building.
Numerous students have told Fox 8 that a ninth grade student, who had been suspended, opened fire on the fourth floor and then moved throughout the building. Students say the regular school security guard was off today. The students believe that if the regular security guard had been there, the suspended student would not have been allowed in the building.
School shootings, kids killing kids, this is a phenomenon that we need to get a handle on, it is happening too frequently.
[Update] If accurate, this is completely unacceptable. ABC reports that the brother of the 14 yr old shooter has been arrested.
That isn't the most troubling portion of the report though.
A classmate said Thursday that he and others had warned their principal about threats by Asa Coon and said the attack could have been prevented.
The student, Rasheem Smith, said on CBS' "Early Show" that despite their warnings, principal Johneita Durant told them she was too busy.
"I told my friends in the class that he had a gun and stuff," said Smith, 15. "He was talking about doing it last week. I don't know why they didn't say nothing.
"We talked to the principal. She would try to get us all in the office, but it would always be too busy for it to happen," Smith said.
Responding on the show, schools CEO Eugene Sanders said the district would investigate. "We're going to review the entire situation over the course of today and tomorrow, make a determination of what has indeed occurred, and then see what the appropriate recommendations are, so we can move forward on Monday morning," he said.
A message left at Durant's office was not returned. A phone call to her home was not answered.
All classes in the city school district were canceled Thursday, and counseling was to be available for students.
They were warned and no additional security was obtained? Nothing was done?
Unacceptable.
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