MARYSVILLE, Wash., (Reuters) – A student shot dead a female classmate and wounded four others when he opened fire in the cafeteria of his Washington state high school yeterday, apparently after a fight with fellow students, authorities said.
The shooter, a homecoming prince at Marysville-Pilchuck High School, took his own life as his classmates scrambled to safety in the latest outburst of deadly violence at an American school.
A school district official, who declined to be named, said the shooter was Jaylen Fryberg, a freshman who was a popular member of both the wrestling and football teams.
“He came up from behind and had a gun in his hand and he fired about eight bullets … They were his friends so it wasn’t just random,” student Jordan Luton told CNN, adding that the gunman fired several more shots.
“Then he turned and looked at me and my girlfriend … and kind of gave us a smirk and turned around and then shot more bullets outside,” Luton said.
Police would not confirm the gunman’s identity or discuss possible motives for the shooting, but the school district official and several witnesses said he had been previously involved in a fight with another student.
