A 15-year-old boy is in critical condition and a 15-year-old girl is in fair condition after being shot inside a classroom at Sal Castro Middle School in Los Angeles on Thursday, according to authorities.
The suspected shooter, a 12-year-old female student, has been taken into custody by the Los Angeles Police Department. Officers say they have recovered the weapon used in the attack.
The boy is believed to have been shot in the head, according to NBC Los Angeles reporter Jonathan Gonzalez, who is on scene. The other student was struck in the hand by a bullet, KTLA reports.
Both of the injured teenagers have been transported to a local trauma center, according to a Los Angeles Fire Department alert.
Three others, including an 11-year-old and a 12-year-old, suffered minor injuries from shrapnel or broken glass, officials told ABC 7.
At a press conference on Thursday, LAPD deputy Chief Robert Arcos said it was too early to speculate about the shooter’s possible motive or how the suspect obtained the weapon.
Los Angeles School Police Department Chief Steven Zipperman described the incident as “very traumatic” for the other students who were in the classroom at the time. He said the campus had been put on lockdown and searched before officers declared it safe.
Arcos said “parents who are watching should be assured their children are in great care.”
There have been at least seven other school shootings so far this year that have resulted in death or injury.