San Bernardino shooting: One child, eight, confirmed dead after school horror
ONE child and his teacher have been shot dead by a gunman in a murder-suicide shooting at a primary school in San Bernardino, California.
San Bernardino shooting- At least four people have been shot at a California primary school
Jonathan Martinez, eight, one of two students hit by gunfire, has died after a shooting at North Park Elementary School in San Bernardino, California, San Bernardino Police Chief, Jarrod Burguan said.
Burguan added: “The shooter was identified as Cedric Anderson, 53 of Riverside, Anderson later took his life.”
Anderson entered a special needs classroom and opened fire, killing his wife, Karen Elaine Smith, also 53, Burguan said.
Police Chief Burguan said: “North Park School have about 500 students total, the police response is believed to have been about 150 police officers.
“No warnings that we have been made aware of, preliminary information is that they were estranged and had only been married for a few months.
“School is a secure site, he entered the office and said he wanted to drop something off with his spouse. That is not an unknown scenario.
“The shooters home has been secured, there is no reason to believe there are extra victims. No note has been left.
“Both the students were behind the teacher when the suspect shot his wife. We do not believe he intended to hit the students.
“The suspect does have a criminal history, I do not have the specifics but it is thought to be arms possession, domestic violence and drug related.”
San Bernardino Police released the images of the suspected shooter and victim
Police Chief Burguan said the shooter, Anderson, of Riverside, entered the classroom with a large caliber revolver and opened fire "without saying anything," killing Karen Elaine Smith, also of Riverside. Smith was a teacher at the school.
The two students who were struck by gunfire were standing behind Smith, the police chief said.
Jonathan Martinez, eight, died at Loma Linda University Medical Centre after being airlifted from the school. The other student, a nine-year-old boy, was listed in stable condition.
Police do not believe the two children were targeted they happened to be near the teacher.
Burguan said that at the time of the shooting there were 15 students from grades one through four in the special needs classroom, along with two adult aides.
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The man just walked in with the gun. He just shot everywhere
One student, nine, was in the classroom when the shooting took place and her jumper had blood splattered on it.
The student said: “The man just walked in with the gun. He just shot everywhere. I went under the table and then I saw a teacher run out. So I just ran out. My friend and my teacher, they got shot.”
More to follow...
Families greet School children after San Bernardino shooting
The suspected shooter, Cedric Anderson, released a Facebook video on February 27 which stated: “What I love about my wife, what makes me really happy, is she knows when to ignore me. Makes for a happy marriage.”
The couple were not thought to have been married for long and had been estranged for about a month, according to the San Bernardino Police Chief.
More to follow...