Three students were killed on Tuesday after their 15-year-old classmate opened fire in a Michigan high school. Six others were wounded in the shooting, including a teacher.
According to Oakland County Undersheriff Mike McCabe, a motive for the attack at Oxford High School in Oxford Township has not been determined. Police arrested the teenaged suspect at the school and confiscated a handgun.
Authorities have not released the names of the victims or the suspect.
Around 12:51 p.m., law enforcement responded to over 100 reports of an active shooter at the school, which is located roughly 30 miles north of Detroit.
WINK News Anchor Lois Thome shared an image of the scene on Twitter.
“Deputies took a suspect into custody within five minutes of the original 911 call,” McCabe said. The suspect did not resist when he was taken into custody.
The wounded victims were all transported to local hospitals and are “being treated for various injuries.”
“It’s a very tragic situation,” McCabe said. “There was an orderly evacuation, the school did everything right. Everybody remained in place. They barricaded themselves.”
After sheltering in place, the students were taken to a nearby Meijer grocery store to be reunited with their parents.
Twitter user Macomb County Scanner shared another aerial image of the scene outside the school, as well as a screenshot of the emergency message sent to parents and guardians.
“There is an active emergency occurring at Oxford High school right now,” the alert stated. “Oakland County Sheriff’s Department are on the scene and we have activated our emergency protocols and placed the school in lockdown.”
“We will send more information to you as we know it,” the message continued. “Please do not go to the school.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer released a statement following the shooting, expressing her condolences for those impacted by the attack.
“My heart breaks for the students, teachers, staff and families at Oxford High School. The death of multiple students and the shooting of many others, including a teacher, is horrific,” she wrote. “I want to thank the first responders on the ground working hard to keep people safe as law enforcement officials investigate this shooting and get the community the help it needs right now.”
The governor then took a political turn and advocated for gun control in Michigan.
“As Michiganders, we have a responsibility to do everything we can to protect each other from gun violence. No one should be afraid to go to school, work, a house of worship, or even their own home,” Whitmer’s statement read.
“Gun violence is a public health crisis that claims lives ever day. We have the tools to reduce gun violence in Michigan. This is a time for us to come together and help our children feel safe at school.”
“My heart is with the parents who had their children taken from them today and with the entire community in Oxford,” she concluded.
