A 12-year-old boy is being held in police custody as cops suspect he shot a 13-year-old student at a California middle school Monday.
The shooting occurred at Madison Park Academy, a school for sixth to 12th graders in East Oakland, around 1:30 p.m., police said.
Officers responding to the reports of gunfire at the school found a 13-year-old boy with a gunshot wound and spotted the 12-year-old running away, Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong said at a press conference, KTVU reported.
Cops caught up to the younger boy and quickly took him into custody, he added. They also recovered the firearm used.
“It saddens me to even think that a kid would bring a gun to school,” Armstrong said. “No parent wants to send their kids to school in the day and then be called saying your kid’s been shot. It’s the worst thing that you can hear.”
The wounded student was rushed to an area hospital in stable condition.
It’s not yet clear if the 12-year-old is a student at Madison Park Academy, which has a student body of about 750 kids.
The school, which is located in the Sobrante Park neighborhood, was evacuated following the shooting and students were sent home.
Armstrong had been hosting a press conference on a recent spate of gun violence in Oakland including the school shooting. He said six people were killed in four days across the city.
“I’m afraid that our community is becoming numb to this horrific behavior,” Armstrong said, according to SFGate. “… Sadly, gun violence is impacting our schools, as well.”
Police did not release additional information on the shooting.
With Post wires
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