OXFORD, Mich. — Three students were killed Tuesday and eight other people were wounded in an afternoon shooting at Oxford High School, law enforcement officials said.
The shooter, an unidentified 15-year-old sophomore, is in custody, Oakland County Undersheriff Mike McCabe added during a news conference. The teen is not injured.
"Deputies confronted him, he had the weapon on him and deputies took him into custody," McCabe said, adding the weapon was a semi-automatic handgun. "The whole thing lasted five minutes."
Officials didn't identify the victims, but the undersheriff said a teacher is among those wounded.
About 15 to 20 shots were fired and about 100 calls were placed to 911, McCabe said. The shooter, he said, appears to have acted alone.
"There were no other guns, no other shooters," McCabe added. "As far as we know."
The undersheriff said the suspect was arrested by a deputy detailed to the site and one who arrived on the scene. As for how the suspect got the gun inside, McCabe said: "We know, but I'm not going to say that right now."
The suspect has "already invoked his right to not speak; he wants an attorney," McCabe said.
The White House said that in advance of his tour Tuesday at Dakota County Technical College in Minnesota, President Joe Biden was told of the school shooting in Oxford by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.
“As we learn the full details, my heart goes out to the families and during the unimaginable grief of losing a loved one,” Biden said at the beginning of his remarks. “You got to know that that whole community has to be just in a state of shock right now.”
Biden's traveling team will remain in close touch with staff at the White House and provide regular updates to Biden as new information surfaces, press secretary Jen Psaki said.
Students evacuated from the school were reunited with parents or relatives in the parking lot of Meijer, a store near the school, he said.
Just before 4 p.m., some parents remained outside the Meijer store waiting to be reunited with their children. Nearby, other parents were reunited with their daughters or sons and quickly entered their vehicles and left the area.
Catherine Tebben, a 17-year-old junior at the high school, said she was in “passing time” between classes when the shooting happened. She had just finished lunch.
“I’m walking, and almost to my classroom,” Tebben told The Detroit News. “I hear kids running at me, then gunshots going off."
Tebben said a friend of her boyfriend, Josh Couch, grabbed her hand and told her to run.
"I’m running and I see blood all over the floor. I run out into the parking lot and get in my truck and drive here” to the reunification area, she told The News.
It was a nerve-racking experience that she said left her shaking. Not only for what had happened but the uncertainty.
She did not immediately see Couch. But the 18-year-old senior soon arrived outside.
Couch plays on the football team and had yet to hear from several teammates. Now he faces uncertainty of his own, he said.
“Trying to find our captain running back and our captain linebacker now; I can't find them anywhere,” Couch said. “Can’t nobody get ahold of them.”
Later Tuesday afternoon, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called the shootings "horrific."
"My heart breaks for the students, teachers, staff and families of Oxford High School," Whitmer said in a statement. "... I want to thank the first responders on the ground working hard to keep people safe as law enforcement officials investigate this shooting and get the community the help it needs right now.
“As Michiganders, we have a responsibility to do everything we can to protect each other from gun violence. No one should be afraid to go to school, work, a house of worship, or even their own home. Gun violence is a public health crisis that claims lives every day. We have the tools to reduce gun violence in Michigan. This is a time for us to come together and help our children feel safe at school."
Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter noted that the county's Emergency Operations Center has been activated to offer support to first responders and families in Oxford.
"The entire Oakland County community is in shock by this terrifying display of violence and our thoughts are with Oxford families tonight," Coulter said in a statement.
A mass of law enforcement from across the region descended on the Oakland County school, covering roads with armed sheriff deputies, police vehicles, ambulances and other emergency personnel.
Helicopters hovered above Lapeer and Ray roads near the high school. Emergency responders could be seen bringing stretchers near the school Tuesday.
Tim Throne, district superintendent, asked for prayers for students and families.
"Of course I'm shocked. It's devastating," he said during the news briefing.
Throne said he hasn't been briefed yet on the names of the victims. He declined to say why the school doesn't have metal detectors and said that he couldn't recall the topic ever coming up.
Lt. Mike Shaw of the Michigan State Police said he believes this is the first active shooter situation in Michigan in a school in decades.
Six-year-old Kayla Rolland was shot and killed at Buell Elementary School in the Beecher School District by a 6-year-old boy on Feb. 29, 2000.
Lawmakers representing Oakland County communities released statements Tuesday expressing their grief and shock over the shootings.
State Sen. Rosemary Bayer, D-Beverly Hills, called the shooting "simply horrifying."
"On top of an already difficult situation with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, our students now have to face this traumatic situation in a place that is supposed to be a safe space for learning and growth," Bayer said.
“My heart goes out to all those involved. I am working with local authorities to understand all the information and provide as much assistance as my office can," she added. "I encourage anyone with information about this situation to share it with the police, and I thank our local responders for their swift assistance and response during this difficult time.”
Added U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., who said she is headed back to Michigan: "This is a dark & painful day for Michigan. I send my deepest condolences to the families of the three students who have lost their lives — they have received the worst news any parent can ever imagine.
"We must continue to pray and hope for the additional students and teacher who have been injured, and for the students who are in shock right now. They will somehow have to make sense of one of their peers doing this to them."
John Lyman, public information officer for several fire departments in the area, said "60 units" were dispatched to the scene.
Timothy Waters, a spokesman for the FBI's Detroit office, said federal law enforcement is there in a support role.
At Lapeer Schools, about 16 miles from Oxford High School, officials say they are in "secure mode" as a precaution.
Oxford High School is located north of the city of Oxford and about 45 miles north of the city of Detroit, southeast of Flint.
According to MI School Data, Oxford High School has about 1,500 students this year.
Authorities are planning to hold another briefing at 5 p.m.
