14 DAY TRIAL // A high-school student has been shot at Taft Union High School, near Bakersfield, California, by a classmate.
A 16-year-old boy fired a 12-gauge shotgun at school, mentioning the injured student by name before. His victim, of the same age, suffered serious injuries, but is recovering in hospital care. He underwent a surgical intervention at the local Kern Medical Center.
One of the attacker's female classmates told her mother about the boy threatening to kill all those that had upset him, during a school trip last year.
“He was telling everyone that he had a list of people who messed with him over the years and that he was going to kill them,” Angela Hayden describes.
The incident occurred at 9 a.m., on Thursday, January 10, in a classroom. The attacker was settling an argument with the victim, according to witness accounts. He only shot him once, after calling out his name.
Afterwards, he fired approximately 20 rounds. The assailant attempted to shoot down a second student and missed, before being disarmed by a teacher.
Two other students suffered minor injuries during the attack, sources say. A male student injured himself while running away and tripping over a table, while a female classmate was treated for hearing damage.
LA Times reports that science teacher Ryan Heber talked to the boy, taking the gun away from him without the use of force.
“If it weren't for this teacher and his quick response, we don't know what would have happened,” Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood assessed.
The rest of the class went running out after Heber managed to get ahold of the gun. The teacher was slightly injured himself, as a pallet struck his head.
He has stated that his injuries are minor and do not require hospitalization. He was helped by a supervisor who distracted the young boy.
The school is protected by an armed security guard, who was not in yesterday, due to heavy snow in the area.