A 12-year-old girl allegedly shot two students and injured three other people at Castro Middle School in the Belmont/Westlake area on Thursday morning, prompting a large-scale police response during a national climate of alert over campus gun violence.
Authorities responded to the shooting at 8:55 am Sal Castro Middle, a 6-8 grade school near Belmont High School, just south of Beverly Boulevard near the West 1st Street bridge. As word spread among students about the incident, anxious parents began gathering outside the school awaiting information.
LAPD confirmed the shooting on social media at 9:47 am. The L.A. Fire Department and the LAUSD School Police also responded.
Two student juveniles were shot, one boy and one girl, both age 15, reports said. The boy was listed in critical condition with a shot to the temple. The girl was listed in fair condition with a bullet wound to the wrist. The motive or cause of the shooting was not known known by Thursday afternoon and police said they were continuing an investigation.
KTLA aired footage of the unnamed suspect being taken away from the campus in police custody.