SANTA CLARITA – Police are unsure what motivated the suspect to carry out the high school shooting in California and are investigating the same. The suspect killed two classmates and wounded three others before he shot himself in the head and collapsed.
The shooting took place at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita on Thursday morning and it all happened in a matter of seconds. The suspect opened fire in an outdoor school courtyard immediately after he pulled a .45 semi-automatic pistol from his backpack.
Sheriff Alex Villanueva of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office told CNN, “This kind of came out of the blue. It shocked everyone who knew him.”
Police have not released the suspect’s name, but have said that it was his 16th birthday on Thursday. Authorities said he was in grave condition at a hospital. Investigators are examining the suspect’s past, looking through social media accounts and interviewing people who knew him.
The FBI is assisting in the investigation and police are unsure about where the suspect got the weapon, the sheriff reported.
Police say that the suspect had acted alone. Investigators descended on his family home, blocking off the street and they found no further danger there.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field.