Father witnesses shooting at Calif. school: We were 'stunned'
A father was dropping his
daughter off for kindergarten at her Northern California elementary school
Tuesday morning when he heard what sounded like a firecracker. But the loud bangs
were actually gunshots.
"We
all stopped and were stunned," Coy Ferreira told ABC Redding, California, affiliate KRCR. "Then,
like a minute later, there were three more shots fired."
That's when an employee of the Rancho Tehama Elementary School
in Corning, about 130 miles north of Sacramento, ran out and yelled for the
children to get inside, Ferreira said.
He ran into a classroom with students and multiple shots came
through the classroom windows, hitting a young boy, Ferreira said.
"He got nailed somehow, it happened all so fast,” Ferreira
said.
The school district
said late Tuesday that the student was in stable condition. There were also
injuries from broken glass, the school district said.
The elementary school
was one of seven locations police say a gunman opened fire Tuesday morning. The
rampage killed four people and wounded 10 more. The gunman was killed by police
after the shootings.
The school district
said that before classes began, the gunman crashed a vehicle through the
school’s locked gate and fired dozens of shots at the school, damaging windows
and walls.
Authorities said it
appeared the gunman became frustrated when he could not gain entry inside the
classrooms, so he re-entered his vehicle and continued the shooting spree in
the streets.
The Corning Elementary
School District said, "School staff is commended for their courageous and
professional response to this terrible incident. The school was able to go on
lockdown very quickly and effectively, which prevented any further injury or
violence."
All students and staff
were accounted for and counselors will be made available, the school district
said.
The elementary school
"is closed until further notice in order for law enforcement to complete
its investigation and to make necessary repairs," the district added.
Police said the motive
is unknown but said the gunman appeared to directly target the elementary
school.
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