Teenager hospitalized in shooting near Los Angeles middle school
One person was rushed to the hospital after a shooting near a middle school in the San Fernando Valley.
The Los Angeles School Police Department said the shooting happened off campus, adjacent to Sepulveda Middle School in the North Hills neighborhood. An LA Unified School District spokesperson said staff placed the campus on lockdown because of the shooting.
Eighth-grade student Santo Jimenez said two kids were fighting before the shooting happened.
"One shot like super loud and everybody started running," he said. "I felt really bad for the student who got shot."
Firefighters took one person to the hospital in an unknown condition, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
While authorities did not immediately offer a description of the victim, an LAUSD spokesperson said the victim was not a student at the school.
The family said the victim was a 15-year-old boy and that he is expected to survive his injuries. "My nephew, he came to pick up his little brother from school because there has been this boy constantly trying to pick fights with him," the victim's aunt said.
The LAPD says a 13-year-old who attended the middle school is the suspect, and he allegedly shot another teen and ran away.
The day after the shooting, there was a visible police presence outside the school.
"We take the safety of our students very seriously. In an abundance of caution, the Los Angeles School Police Department will have extra police officer patrols on our campus," LAUSD wrote in a statement on Wednesday.
A neighbor said he wants the suspect boy to get help, and he wants his parents to be accountable.
"I feel bad for the kid because I don't know how he was raised or something like that. I don't know how he got the gun. There could be something mentally wrong with him," neighbor Jeff said.
Since 2020, the school district has established a policy that prohibits permanently stationing police officers on school campuses, focusing instead on a "patrol model" with officers patrolling surrounding neighborhoods. Rosas said she would like to see police officers on campus. "Yes, inside. That'd be … better."
School officials urged anyone who witnesses any safety concerns to contact staff or police. They can contact the LA Schol Police Department at (213) 625-6631 and 911 during emergencies.
Anonymous tips can be sent to the Los Angeles Schools Anonymous Reporting (LASAR) mobile app, which is available for free in the Apple and Android App Stores.
