Student Shot In Arm At High School In Palmdale; 14-Year-Old Arrested
PALMDALE (CBSLA/AP) - A 14-year-old used a rifle to shoot a classmate in the arm Friday at their high school in Palmdale and dumped the gun in the desert before he was caught in a shopping center, authorities said.
Sheriff's deputies responded around 7 a.m. to the Highland High School campus at 39055 25th St. West in response to a report of a man with a
gun and detained the teen at the scene, said sheriff's Capt. Darren Harris. The suspect was only described as a 14-year-old male Hispanic.
Sheriff's deputies along with the ATF responded to the scene, where a rifle was recovered off campus.
The victim, also 14, was taken to the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery, said Nicole Nishida, a Los Angeles County sheriff's spokeswoman. She said the suspect was found in the shopping center.
Sheriff's officials declared the high school secure just after 9 a.m. Officials said there was no further threat to the school or the surrounding community.
The shooting was sparked by a dispute between the two students, but investigators were still trying to determine a specific motive, officials said.
There were reports of shots heard at nearby Manzanita Elementary School but the school was cleared after deputies searched the campus.
Calls were received of "shots fired" heard near the campus of Manzanita a Elementary School in the 38600 block of 33rd Street
East around 7:30 a.m., , the sheriff's department reported.
Shortly after 8:30 a.m., the sheriff's department reported that "no evidence of a crime" was found at the elementary
school and declared the campus was secured.
Parents were seen taking their kids out of the school.
All Antelope Valley Union High School District schools were placed on lockdown.
Antelope Valley College announced canceled classes and closed its locations until noon in response.
Friday evening, a clearer picture of what happened at Highland High School came into more focus.
KCAL9's Jeff Nguyen spoke to kids who knew the victim and the suspect
"I would never expect him to have done this or think about doing this," said Nicole Fisher.
She is friends with the victim and the suspect.
"He's just very nice and he's not a bad kid," she says.
The victim flagged down a parent and off to the hospital they went.
Julie Figueroa knows the victim.
"He's a nice person. He's funny, he's really smart in chemistry," Figueroa.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Wire sueroa said.ervices contributed to this report.)
