Fox 8 reported that a student in a Washington state High School fatally Shot and killed his classmate who tried to reason with him before he went on a shooting spree in the school. Police say the armed student who had several weapons went on to shoot and injure 3 other students before he was arrested.
According to Spokane County Sherrif Ozzie Knezovich, the number of fatalities could have been much higher, if the armed student's gun had fired as originally planned. Instead, the gun jammed and pulled out another weapon.
Shooter
The police have not revealed the identity of the shooter or the student who was killed.
According to Knezovich, when the shooter's first gun jammed, his classmate confronted him and tried to convince him not to go ahead with his deadly plan.
It was at this point that the armed student forked out a second gun and shot his classmate dead. He then proceeded to fire more rounds into the hallway and in the process, injured three students who are currently in a local hospital.
The motive of the attack could not be immediately established, but Knezovich suspects it could have been a case of school bullying. The Sherrif described the incident as regrettable, unfortunate, senseless and unnecessary.
The perpetrator is currently being held in a juvenile lockup. According to officials, no charges have been preferred against him yet.
Recovery
The three injured students were rushed to the nearby Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital, Spokane, in critical condition.
Chief of Surgery Dr. Mike Moore confirmed that the three teenagers had been admitted to the hospital and were in a stable condition. One of the injured students was due to go in for surgery later in the afternoon.
Dr. Moore added that he expected all three shooting victims to pull through.
Investigations
A team from the ATF and FBI has already been sent to the scene to assist local authorities with the investigations. Speaking to reporters, an FBI Spokeswoman said that they were there to offer manpower and special resources if required during the investigation.
In a statement, Governor Jay Inslee said the shooting incident at Freeman High School was heartbreaking and pledged the full support of the State Patrol and other state agencies as investigators tried to put the pieces together to find answers.
As for support and comfort, Inslee assured the community that in the coming days and weeks the state would do whatever necessary to achieve that.
Owing to the incident, students will not report to school on Friday.
