Yahoo Finance Idaho Falls shooting: Girl pulls gun from backpack and fires at classmates
Three people have been shot after a young girl brought a gun to her school and opened fire at her classmates.
The girl, who is in sixth grade and aged 11 or 12, was in the hallway when she pulled the firearm from her backpack and began shooting at Rigby Middle School in Idaho, USA.
It comes after a student was shot dead by police after opening fire on officers at a high school in Tennessee in April.
On Thursday, students in Idaho heard gunshots and screaming and told of seeing blood on the hallway floor when police escorted them out of the classroom.
Lights and computers turned off during the attack and students lined up against the wall, one pupil said.
The child shooter was disarmed by a female teacher who held her until police arrived.
Student Yandel Rodriguez, 12, said: “Me and my classmate were just in class with our teacher. We were doing work and then all of a sudden, here was a loud noise and then there were two more loud noises.
“Then there was screaming. Our teacher went to check it out and he found blood.”
Yandel’s mum Adela Rodriguez said they were OK but “still a little shaky” from the shooting as they left the campus.
The girl, who has not been named, is from nearby Idaho Falls and was taken into custody.
Two students and one staff member were shot in the limbs and are expected to survive, according to officials.
Police say they are investigating the motive behind the attack and where the child got the weapon.
Jefferson School District Superintendent Chad Martin said: “This is the worst nightmare a school district could ever face. We prepare for it but you’re never truly prepared.”
Police tape surrounded the school, which has about 1,500 students from sixth to eighth grades, and small evidence markers were placed next to spots of blood on the ground.
Jefferson County Prosecutor Mark Taylor said decisions about criminal charges would not be made until the investigation is complete but that they might include three counts of attempted murder.
Read More
Your morning briefing: What you should know for Friday, May 7
