Three high school students were shot and killed inside Oxford High School and eight others are in the hospital after a school shooting in Oxford, Michigan.
As police work to learn more about the shooter, the Oakland County Sheriff has released more details about the victims.
Here’s what we know about the victims of the tragedy.
During a press briefing Tuesday evening, Oakland County Undersheriff Michael McCabe said that three high school students were confirmed to have been killed by the shooter.
McCabe identified them only by their age and gender: a 16-year-old male, 14-year-old female, and 17-year-old female.
Eight others were shot and injured by the shooter. McCabe said, and two of them are currently in surgery for their injuries. He could not give details on their current conditions. The other six are listed as stable in nearby hospitals.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer spoke during the 5 p.m. update and got choked up multiple times, saying that this is every parent’s worst nightmare.
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What happened in the Oxford High School shooting?
According to the sheriff’s office, at about 12:51 p.m. local time, hundreds of calls flooded the 911 dispatch for reports of a shooting at Oxford High School. Deputies immediately responded to the scene and took the suspect into custody but not until after he shot multiple people, killing three, authorities said.
Authorities recovered a semi-automatic handgun and several clips.
Horror Video Shows: Oxford High School shooting 3 Killed, 6 Hurt including 1 teacher
Around 2 p.m. local time, medical helicopters including the University of Michigan’s Survival Flight had landed in the parking lot of the school as a secondary search was being conducted around the perimeter.
During a press briefing Tuesday evening, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard gave more information about the three victims of the shooting.
- 16-year-old Tate Myre died inside a patrol car while deputies were taking him to the hospital.
- 14-year-old Hana St. Juliana.
- 17-year-old Madisyn Baldwin.
Bouchard did not elaborate on where St. Julian and Baldwin died.
Bouchard also gave more information about the other eight victims who, as of 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday, are still alive and being treated:
- One victim is a 15-year-old boy with a gunshot wound to the head. He’s in critical condition.
- Another victim is a 14-year-old boy with a gunshot wound to the head and jaw. He’s in serious condition.
- A 17-year-old girl is stable after being shot in the neck.
- Another victim, a 15-year-old boy, was shot in the leg and is stable.
- A 47-year-old teacher was grazed with a bullet.
- A 14-year-old is fighting for his life with chest and neck wounds. The sheriff said he’s currently on a ventilator after surgery.
- The final victim is a 17-year-old girl who was shot in the chest and is in critical condition.
The sheriff said that the suspect is a 15-year-old sophomore at the school has been taken into custody and has invoked his right to remain silent.
McCabe said the student was an Oxford resident and was in school on Tuesday and went to class. He would not offer information about a motive or if the victims were targeted by the shooter.
He said the suspect’s parents obtained an attorney for him and told him not to talk to the police.
Oxford High School shooting suspect
The sheriff said that the suspect, a 15-year-old sophomore at the school, has been taken into custody and has invoked his right to remain silent.
Oakland County Undersheriff Mike McCabe said at a news conference that he didn’t know what the assailant’s motives were for the attack.
During a news conference Tuesday evening, McCabe said investigators were aware of how the suspect got the gun but declined to give details. The sheriff also declined to say if the suspect’s parents were cooperating but said they have hired an attorney.
The 15-year-old is being held at the Oakland County’s Children’s Village, a juvenile detention center in Pontiac, Michigan. The suspect could potentially be tried as an adult, according to the sheriff, but that will be decided by the Oakland County Prosecutor.
They are: Madisyn Baldwin,17; Tate Myre, 16; and Hanna St. Julian, 14.
Three students also remain in critical condition, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said at a press conference held at 10 p.m. Tuesday.
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A total of 11 people were shot, 10 students and a teacher, Bouchard said.
A 14-year-old girl is on a ventilator with a gunshot wounds to her chest and neck, a 17-year-old girl is in critical condition with a gunshot wound to her chest and a 15-year-old boy is in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the head, Bouchard said as of 10 p.m., Nov. 30.
Myre died in a patrol car on his way to the hospital, Bouchard said, noting the sheriff’s deputy did everything he could to save the student.
A 47-year-old teacher was treated and discharged from the hospital with a grazing gunshot wound to her shoulder, Bouchard said.
The rest of the injured students are a 14-year-old boy in serious condition with gunshot wounds to his jaw and head, a 17-year-old girl is in stable condition with a gunshot wound to her neck, a 15-year-old boy in stable condition with a gunshot wound to his leg and a 17-year-old boy in stable condition with a gunshot wound to his hip.
Multiple students also had injuries that were not life-threatening from the rush of evacuation, Bouchard said.
“This kind of thing can happen anywhere and sadly it happened even in a sweet, quiet community like Oxford,” Bouchard said. “It can visit itself anywhere in America. No one is immune.”
A 15-year-old sophomore who lives in the village of Oxford was arrested at the high school. The teen put his hands in the air when he saw the deputies and was arrested without injury, Bouchard said.
He had a 9 mm pistol with seven bullets loaded in it, when deputies arrested the 15 year old was arrested, Bouchard said.
“I believe they literally saved lives having taken down the suspect with a loaded firearm still in the building,” Bouchard said.
After other schools around the country had shootings were officers did not enter the building, Oakland County Sheriff’s deputies were told to go into schools if there was a shooting to stop the threat, Bouchard said.
“Their job is to go in and neutralize the threat,” Bouchard said. “They went to the gunshots.”
The gun was purchased Nov. 26 by the 15-year-old’s father, Bouchard said. Two 15-round magazines were found and a third is expected to be found at the school as the investigation continues.
It appears the teenager had posted pictures of the gun and a target on his social media before the shooting, Bouchard said.
Police do not yet know why the gun was purchased, Bouchard said.
The gun was likely brought into the high school in the student’s backpack, Bouchard said.
The student’s parents told him not to talk and had requested an attorney. The sheriff’s office has not talked with him or his parents any more, Bouchard said.
He is held in a juvenile detention center on charges related to homicide and attempted homicide. His name will not be released unless he is charged as an adult, Bouchard said.
The case will be presented to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office for charging decisions as the investigation continues. Bouchard did not have an estimated date for an arraignment.
The student came out of a bathroom with the handgun, Bouchard said. Police do not yet know where he went after that. There are thousands of interviews for the sheriff’s office to do, Bouchard said.
At least one student stayed home Tuesday morning because of threats of a possible shooting, AP reported. The student had heard vague threats for a while about a possible shooting.