The suspect and a 14-year-old student died and one teacher was injured Tuesday morning at Reynolds High School in Oregon during on what is considered 74th gun shooting incident in the US school campus since the attack at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut in December 2012.
Police found the teen gunman dead in a bathroom, and they suspected that he killed himself after firing the rifle he possessed that took the life of a freshman that was identified as Emilio Hoffman. The victim was in the boy's locker room at the school gym when he was shot before the suspect ran to a bathroom where he found dead. It is not clear yet if the shooting was random or targeted.
Hoffman's former girlfriend described him as "a good kid" and "a down-to-earth guy". It was also said that he was "loved by all". Students who have known him felt sad on what happened to him.
The 50-year-old Todd Rispler, the teacher who got injured, is a physical education instructor and former track coach. His wound in his hip caused by the bullet was treated at the scene.
The day of incident was the second to the last day of the class of about 2,800 students. Classes are suspended on Wednesday at Reynolds High School.
Another student found armed with gun while students and teachers were evacuating during the incident. Police Chief Scott Anderson said that the weapon and the student were not related to the incident and that the armed student taken into custody.
A part of the statement issued in the wake of the shooting by Sarah Finger McDonald, the group's Oregon chapter leader is read as, "Today, we call on responsible gun owners, mothers, fathers, and all concerned citizens to call on our elected leaders to pass reasonable reforms that will prevent gun violence. Will we have to wait until there is an active shooter at every school in America before our lawmakers act?"
