A man shot and killed a teacher and a student in a special needs classroom in San Bernardino, California on Monday. A domestic dispute reportedly triggered the incident. Another child was injured and listed in critical but Stable Condition. The gunman later shot himself.
Murder-suicide
The shooter was identified as Cedric Anderson, 53. He fatally shot his wife Karen Elaine Smith, a teacher at the North Park Elementary School. The child who was likewise killed was identified as 8-year old Jonathan Martinez. He died after arriving by helicopter at the Loma Linda Medical Center.
Authorities did not release the identity of the second victim. Anderson used a .327 revolver to attack the victims.
There were no signs that the gunman intentionally shot the children. At the time of the assault, the two children were standing behind Smith. According to police, Anderson did not say a word before he began firing his weapon. There were 15 children inside the classroom at the time of the shooting.
School officials followed procedures before allowing people to enter their campus and have verified Anderson’s identity. He was able to get into the school premises by telling the school’s staff that he was there to give something to his wife. The shooter had a history of arrests for weapons charges, drugs, and domestic violence.
The aftermath
Parents panicked and rushed to the school after hearing about the shooting. North Park has 500 students in their campus; they were brought to the campus of California State University to be accounted for and moved to the Cajon High School to be reunited with their parents. Police authorities brought food and movies for the children while waiting for their parents to arrive.
USA Today has reported that Betsy DeVos, US secretary of education, issued a statement after the incident that read, “As a mother and grandmother, today’s senseless violence is a tragedy no parent should ever have to face.”
History of shootings
This is not the first time the community experienced this tragedy. In 2015, a married couple burst inside the Inland Regional Center during a party for the county workers and fatally shot 14 people, while 20 more people were injured in the San Bernardino terror attacks. Police killed the shooters during a shootout.
The shooters had pipe bombs, although a malfunction with the remote control prevented the same from detonating.
