Related News
Three dead in murder-suicide at US school
Online Edition
A MAN walked into a school in southern California Monday and shot dead his estranged wife in front of her students, killing an eight-year-old boy in the crossfire before turning his gun on himself.
Police said local resident Cedric Anderson had checked into the office as a visitor after entering the campus in the city of San Bernardino and going to a classroom, where he opened fire on Karen Elaine Smith, 53, as she was teaching.
Officers said Anderson, also 53, had only targeted Smith but two students were caught in the crossfire and one of them, Jonathan Martinez, died later in hospital.
"This does appear to have been a murder-suicide with both male adult and female adult victim succumbing to injuries, with the male succumbing to a self-inflicted gunshot wound," Lieutenant Mike Madden of the San Bernardino Police Department told a news conference.
Police said initially the two wounded students had been listed as critical but later confirmed Martinez's death.
Students at North Park Elementary School -- which has around 500 students between kindergarten and sixth grade -- were transported to a nearby campus, where they were "being well cared for, having snacks, playing games and watching a Disney movie," the police department tweeted.
Monday's shooting will likely reignite the debate on gun violence in the US, where attempts to put in place tougher gun control measures have failed, despite a series of mass killings.
In one of the most notorious school shootings in modern US history, 20 children and six staff were massacred in 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut.
In June last year, 49 people were killed in a shooting rampage at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida.
"School campuses are sacred spaces where children should be free to learn, play and grow without threat of violence," Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement.
"Today's shooting... is a reminder that deadly weapons can shatter that sense of security, mercilessly and without warning -- leaving parents and educators struggling to address the questions, fears and anxieties that gun violence creates for our young people."
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
