A 12-year-old female suspect was in custody after two teenagers were injured in a middle school shooting, authorities said.
Police officers locked down Salvador Castro Middle School and Belmont High School in Los Angeles after the shooting. The department said there were no additional suspects beyond the person taken into custody and that there was no remaining safety threat.
Authorities were able to take the suspect into custody “without further incident”, Los Angeles Police Department Lt Chris Ramirez said, and recovered a gun at the scene. Officials said it was too early to determine a motive or explain how the shooter was able to obtain a gun and bring it onto campus.
A 15-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy were transported to a local trauma centre, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. Authorities said the injuries were not life-threatening. The boy, who was shot in the head, was in stable but critical condition while the girl, who was shot in the wrist, was in fair condition.
Three other people — an 11-year-old boy, a 12-year-old girl and a 30-year-old woman — also sustained minor injuries but had not been shot.
“We know this is a very traumatic incident for all the children involved particularly inside that classroom,” Steve Zipperman of the Los Angeles School Police Department said, adding that mental health professionals would be available to help.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said one task for investigators would be learning how a gun found its way into the school.
“It's unclear right now if the gun just went off or if the trigger was pulled” unintentionally, Mr Garcetti told reporters.
City Attorney Mike Feuer said he did not know how the assailant obtained a gun but noticed that, in the past, adults have been prosecuted for allowing minors access to firearms.
“This is a very important call to action to every adult in our community”, Mr Feuer said, noting laws dictating safe gun storage.
Footage from the scene showed police vehicles surrounding the school's campus. Young people could be seen being led out of classrooms by authorities.
Distraught parents gathered at a softball field to try and learn more about what had happened.
“He’s not doing well,” a weeping mother said of one of her children who recounted hearing the incident, speaking to ABC Los Angeles.
