The unnamed student brought a gun to Rigby Middle School in Idaho's Rigby city and started shooting in the hallway.
One of the worst fears that a parent has is that their child will be harmed, and when it happens in a school, it makes it so much harder to reconcile with that. After all, we hope that our schools, which are part of our community, are safe places. However, tragic incidents can happen even in schools sometimes and we can't do anything about it, even though we feel helpless.
One sixth-grade girl was taken into custody in Idaho after she opened fire in her middle school. The unnamed student brought a gun to Rigby Middle School, which is in the city of Rigby, and started shooting in the hallway. Three people were shot and they are expected to survive, officials were reported as saying by BBC. The shooter was stopped when a female teacher disarmed her and detained her until police took her into custody, authorities said.
Dr. Michael Lemon, trauma medical director for Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, said that the students who got shot were in the hospital and one of them might need surgery. One of the students was wounded in two limbs. A member of staff was treated for a bullet wound before being sent home.
A shooting at an Idaho middle school has injured three people, and a suspect is in custody. Police said that two students and one adult had injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening. https://t.co/2xf2FiN46d
— The Associated Press (@AP) May 6, 2021
"With the assistance of other high schools, we have actually run mock-shooting, mass-casualty situations and so our trauma system was prepared for this when it came on," he said. "The fact that the injuries are as insignificant as they are right now - not saying that they aren't bad but they could be so much worse - we feel absolutely blessed."
Chad Martin, the local school superintendent, said that all schools in the district would be closed on May 7 and students will have access to counselors. "Today we had the worst nightmare a school district could encounter," he said. "We prepare for it but you're never truly prepared."
BREAKING: A shooting at an Idaho middle school has wounded three people - two students and an educator - and a suspect is in custody. #idleg https://t.co/PRoiNRJpqd
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) May 6, 2021
The students at the school were terrified to learn that the school lockdown was not a drill. "We didn't think anything of it at first, until we heard footsteps in the hallway and then we heard a police siren ... and that's when we started realizing it was real," seventh-grader Madison Jensen told Idaho Falls' Local News 8. "I texted everyone I knew."
Another student, Yandel Rodriguez, 12, told USA Today that she remembers hearing three loud noises before people began "screaming." She added, "Our teacher went to check it out, and he found blood."
There were 1,500 students in the school, and they tried to comfort each other through this difficult situation. "We were freaking out — a few kids were crying. Some kid was sitting next to me I was trying to rub his back, make him feel better," Maren King, a seventh-grader, told Local News 8. Lucy Long, a sixth-grader, said that she began shooting on her phone while being locked in the classroom. She wanted the police to know what happened in case the shooter entered their classroom.
The attempted murder of 3 people at a school in Rigby, Idaho has altered thousands of lives forever. Some kids, educators, and employees will NEVER feel safe in their school again. The toll these murderous rampages are taking on our society is not debatable. #GunControlNow
— therampagebegins (@lerampagebegins) May 6, 2021
References:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57018329
Cover image source: Getty Images | Photo by Jabejon
