A woman watches as Newport News police officers and Virginia state troopers respond to the scene of a shooting at Heritage High School in Newport News, Va., Monday, Sept. 20, 2021. (Jonathon Gruenke/The Virginian-Pilot via AP)
September 23, 2021 - 10:58 AM
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — Surveillance footage from inside a Virginia high school where two students were shot earlier this week shows a student opening fire in a hallway after a teacher broke up his fight with one of the shooting victims, according to court records.
The fight at Heritage High School in Newport News only lasted a few seconds, but court records state the 15-year-old boy was captured on video dropping his backpack, pulling a gun from his waistband and firing multiple times at the 17-year-old boy, news outlets reported.
The 17-year-old boy was shot in the head and leg and his fingers were also severely injured. A 17-year-old girl walking down the hallway was also shot. Both teenagers are expected to recover from their injuries, according to court records.
The 15-year-old boy ran out of the school and a gun was found in a trash can just outside the door, court records state.
Police identified the suspected shooter in several ways, including from papers in the backpack he dropped. The video also showed that the 15-year-old was wearing an electronic ankle monitor, devices courts often mandate to track defendants on probation. One of his teachers said the 15-year-old left her class for lunch, but did not return, according to court records.
The 15-year-old boy’s parents received an anonymous phone call stating their son committed the shooting and his family took him to the city’s juvenile services. He was interviewed at police headquarters before he was charged with two counts of aggravated malicious wounding and several firearms charges.
The wounded teen told detectives a student he did not know came up to him, began fighting, then pulled out a gun and shot him. Though the wounded teen told police he did not know the shooter, Police Chief Steve Drew said at a news conference Monday that the shooting appears targeted. Police also said the students were known to each other.
News from © The Associated Press, 2021