Girl, 15, shot at Texas school by 16-year-old boy
A 15-year-old student Texas girl was shot in her high school cafeteria on Monday morning by a 16-year-old boy, sheriff’s officials said – adding that the teen was arrested soon after.
The girl was airlifted some 70 kilometres (45 miles) to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas following the shooting in the town of Italy, said Sergeant Joe Fitzgerald of the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office.
Lee Joffre, superintendent of the Italy Independent School District, which has about 600 students, said the teenage gunman left the building immediately after opening fire. Sheriff’s officials say the boy was found and taken into custody without incident.
Fitzgerald and Joffre both said at a news conference that they do not know the relationship between the victim and gunman. Neither knew the girl’s condition, and Parkland spokeswoman April Foran said she could give no information.
Fitzgerald said he did not know how many students were in the cafeteria at Italy High School when the shooting happened.
Joffre would not say whether the suspect had any previous disciplinary issues at the school. He said that when the district officials became aware there was an active gunman, the district “immediately took action to get our students in a safe position.”
Joffre said the district is now working to reunite parents with their children. He said it was also working to make sure grief counselling was available for students.
“This is a trying time for our community and out school,” he said.
Italy, which promotes itself as “The Biggest Little Town In Texas,” has about 2,000 residents and is located between Dallas and Waco.
The Ellis County sheriff’s office confirmed in the morning that students at Italy High School were being moved, “under guard,” to a different location.
