A sixth-grader (generally comprised of children around 11 years old) brought a pistol to her school in Idaho and shot two students and a janitor on Thursday before being disarmed by a teacher, local authorities said.
All three victims received gunshot wounds to their limbs and all are expected to survive, Jefferson County Police Chief Steve Anderson said at a news conference.
The attack occurred at the Rigby town high school, located about 95 miles (145 kilometers) southwest of Yellowstone National Park.
Police received a report from the school around 9:15 a.m., after students and staff members heard gunshots.
Several officers responded to the report and the students were evacuated to a nearby high school to join their parents.
[The coronavirus pandemic triggers the sale of firearms]
Police said
the minor took the gun out of her backpack and fired multiple shots in and out of the school center
before a teacher snatched the gun from her and held it until police officers arrived and took her into custody.
A police officer walks out of Rigby High School following a shooting at the scene, Thursday, May 6, 2021, in Rigby, Idaho. AP
The exact age of the minor, the type of pistol she used in the attack, or where she obtained it are not known at the moment.
The motive for the shooting is under investigation.
The minor could face three counts of attempted murder, said Mark Taylor, the Jefferson County prosecutor.
"Today we had the worst nightmare a school district could ever encounter," Jefferson School District Superintendent Chad Martin said in a statement.
The girl who opened fire resides in the city of Idaho Falls, near the school, police said, although her name was not released.
Parents hug their children outside Rigby High School in Idaho after a shooting that left 3 injured on May 6, 2021. AP
Dr. Michael Lemon, director of trauma at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, where the three injured were transported, said the injured adult received medical attention and was released with a gunshot wound to one of his extremities.
The projectile went through his limb without affecting arteries or bones.
The two students shot will spend the night in the hospital, and one of them may need surgery in the future, Lemon reported.
In general, the doctor said that the two students are in good health.
[A 10-year-old boy pointed a toy gun at a driver. He ended up handcuffed and charged with a crime]
"I am praying for the lives and safety of those involved in today's tragic events," Idaho Governor Brad Little tweeted, "Thank you to our law enforcement agencies and school leaders for their efforts to respond to the incident. I stay updated about the situation. "
The US has recorded at least 45 mass shootings in the last month alone.
More than one per day
April 19, 202100: 31
Following the deadly 1999 shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado, which left 15 people dead, a group of schools across the United States began implementing additional security measures such as metal detectors, programs to assess potential threats and the hiring of police officers. .
Since these changes must be approved in each school district, not all schools have standardized mechanisms.
It is not clear if the Idaho school is provided with any of these layers of security.
Controversial metal detectors in schools have detractors and adherents: while some researchers coin their usefulness to ensure that fewer students bring weapons to schools, others say that this does not necessarily translate into less violence.
Instead of relying solely on these physical security measures, schools should pay more attention to listening to students, discouraging and uncovering attacks while they are still in the planning stages, some federal researchers have recommended for years.
A police officer passes a metal detector at Lew Wallace High School, one of many educational centers across the country where the measure was implemented to protect against attacks.
Getty Images
According to figures from the nonprofit group Gun Violence Archive, the United States has recorded more than 150 mass shootings so far in 2021. The agency defines mass shootings as those in which at least four people are killed or injured by gunshots. bullets, except for the author of the attack.
During all of 2020, there were a total of 610 such incidents in the country, compared to 417 in 2019, according to that source.
Last month, President Joe Biden announced a series of limited-scope measures to tackle gun violence and demanded that Congress stop tolerating an issue he described as "international disgrace."
"Armed violence in this country is an epidemic," denounced Biden, and assured that every day 106 people die from firearms in the United States, every month there are 53 femicides committed with pistols, and that armed violence "impacts much more to the black and Latino population. "
With information from NBC News and The Associated Press
