At least five people have been injured in a
shooting at a high school in Southern
California, authorities said.Police said they responded to a report of an active shooter situation at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita around 7:30 am local time. A suspect, described as an Asian male student in dark clothing, is at large, the
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department told HuffPost.Students evacuate after shooting at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, California. https://t.co/D6PjO6Y4F7pic.twitter.com/YD3iGA7Ol5—
NBC News (@NBCNews) November 14, 2019Live video shows officers surrounding a home in a residential neighborhood near the school. The sheriff’s department told HuffPost that the residence is an “area of interest”, but didn’t confirm an arrest.Henry Mayo Hospital in Valencia, California, said it received two patients in critical condition and that three others are en route to the facility. All of the victims are students, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva told NBC Los Angeles.A resident who declined to give her name said she and her neighbors had been ordered to lock their doors and stay inside.“I was shocked when I looked out and saw all the police,” the woman told HuffPost. “We don’t normally see stuff like this.”The woman said
police were searching the backyard of a home across the street from her.The high school, located about 40 miles north of Los Angeles, was evacuated and nearby Highlands Elementary and Rosedale Elementary schools were placed on lockdown as police search for the suspect. Students were seen on video leaving the school with their hands in the air, escorted by authorities. In the same video, several people were seen being loaded onto gurneys and into ambulances.“It’s one of my worst nightmares as sheriff,” Villanueva said. “We all embrace our kids in the morning and send them off to school … but you never know what someone is plotting.”“It’s a sad reality of modern life, with these active shooters at schools,” he added.Saugus High School serves about 2,500 students in grades nine through 12. Authorities have set up a reunification point for parents and students at Central Park in Santa Clarita, roughly one mile away from the high school.White House Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere said President
Donald Trump is monitoring the situation in Santa Clarita..@POTUS@realDonaldTrump is monitoring the ongoing reports of a
school shooting in Santa Clarita, CA. The
White House encourages all those in the area to follow the advice of local law enforcement and first responders.— Judd Deere (@JuddPDeere45) November 14, 2019 Andy Campbell and Sara Boboltz contributed reporting.
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