 “I thought it was fireworks, but it was probably three shots. I looked around the corner and saw someone laying on the ground and blood on the lockers,” says Foss High School student. (AP Photo) |
TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — One student was shot to death in a high school hallway as classes were starting Wednesday morning, and police arrested another student found wandering in a neighborhood a few miles away, officials said.
The slain student’s age and many details of the 7:30 a.m. shooting at Foss High School were not immediately released, but police spokesman Mark Fulghum said no one else was hurt.
Fulghum said police were trying to determine what prompted the attack.
The suspected shooter, another Foss student, was captured about two hours later without putting up a fight, Police Detective Chris Taylor said.
“He was wandering in the neighborhood a few miles away,” Taylor said. “How he got that far isn’t clear.”
The shooting happened in a hallway at the school, on the first day back for students after the winter break, he said.
Freshman Sam Sao, 14, said she was in the lunchroom, waiting for the bell to ring, when the shots were fired.
“Everyone was yelling, ‘Get in the gym! Get in the gym!”’ she said. “At first we thought it was a fight. Then the teachers started getting on the tables and screaming.”
Jacki Phongsavath, a junior at Foss, told KOMO-TV of Seattle he was in a nearby hall and didn’t know who the shooter was.
“I thought it was fireworks, but it was probably three shots,” Phongsavath said. “I looked around the corner and saw someone laying on the ground and blood on the lockers.”
The school was locked down after the shooting. By about 8:30, police had secured the building and students were being sent home, Tacoma School District spokeswoman Pam Thompson said. Classes were canceled for the rest of the day.
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