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Shooting at Michigan high school leaves three students dead, 8 injured; boy, 15, in custody

Wednesday, 01 December 2021 5:06 AM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 01 December 2021 8:51 AM ]

Parents walk away with their kids from the Meijer's parking lot where many students gathered following an active shooter situation at Oxford High School in Oxford, Michigan, U.S. November 30, 2021. (Reuters photo)

A 15-year-old boy allegedly opened fire with a semiautomatic handgun at a high school in rural Michigan on Tuesday, killing three students and injuring eight others including one teacher.

The three slain students were a 16-year-old boy, and two girls, 14 and 17. Two of the injured victims were in surgery Tuesday evening, and the other six were at hospitals in stable condition.

The suspect was taken into police custody following the incident which took place shortly after noon at Oxford High School, according to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office.

"There was no resistance during the arrest and the suspect has asked for a lawyer and has not made any statements as to a motive," the sheriff's office said.

"It's a very tragic situation," Undersheriff Michael McCabe told reporters.

"We have three deceased victims right now, who are all believed to be students," he said. "We have lots of upset parents," he said.

Police block of N. Oxford Road leading to Oxford High School in Oxford following an active shooter situation at Oxford High School in Oxford on November 30, 2021. (Photo by Detroit Free Press)

According to police, the shooter unleashed 15-20 shots over nearly five minutes from his handgun with more than one magazine.

Student Abbey Hodder, 15, said she was in chemistry class when she heard the sound of glass breaking.

"My teacher kind of ran out and was scrambling," Hodder told the Detroit Free Press. "The next thing I knew I saw he was pushing tables. It's part of school protocol to barricade, so we all knew, barricade, barricade down. And we all started pushing tables."

Elissa Slotkin, who represents the district north of Detroit in the US House of Representatives, said she was "horrified" by the shooting.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer described mass shootings as a "uniquely American" problem that must be addressed.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer answers reporters questions during a press conference hours after an active shooter situation at Oxford High School in Oxford on November 30, 2021. (Photo by Detroit Free Press)

Tuesday’s incident was the deadliest school shooting so far this year, according to Everytown For Gun Safety, a group which keeps statistics of mass shootings and lobbies for gun control.

There had been 138 shootings in schools across the country in 2021, show figures provided by Everytown. Twenty-six of those incidents resulted in fatalities, though no more than two each time.

The country’s deadliest school shooting happened in April 2007 at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, when 33 people were killed, including the shooter.

Also, the December 2012 attack on the Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, left 28 dead, including 20 children and the shooter. In addition, in February 2018, a former student of a high school in Parkland, Florida, opened fire there, killing 17.

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