The US teen entered a classroom at Taft Union High School after California with a shotgun and pockets full of ammunition, after shooting one of the pupils on his hitlist. His victim has been hospitalised but is in a stable condition.
He was then stopped and engaged in conversation by teacher Ryan Heber whilst students filed out of the classroom back door.
“They talked him into putting that shotgun down. He in fact told the teacher, `I don’t want to shoot you,’ and named the person that he wanted to shoot,” said local sheriff Donny Youngblood.
The unidentified teen reportedly wanted to take revenge on two specific bullies that had been tormenting him, and had borrowed his brother’s shotgun.
“Certainly he believed that the two people he targeted had bullied him, in his mind. Whether that occurred or not we don’t know yet.” said Youngblood.
The school’s armed security guard reportedly did not turn up to work that day due to being snowed in. The latest school shooting incident comes less than a month after the tragic Sandy Hook school massacre, which claimed 20 children and six adult’s lives.
US Vice President Joe Biden announced yesterday that he intends to hand over new gun control recommendations to President Obama next week.
The National Rifle Association has accused Biden of pursuing “an agenda to attack the second amendment”.
“We will not allow law-abiding gun owners to be blamed for the acts of criminals and madmen,” said an NRA statement.
