Boy, 15, opens fire with handgun in US school, kills 2
BENTON, KENTUCKY: A 15-year-old boy opened fire with a handgun just before classes started at his high school in rural western Kentucky on Tuesday, killing two fellow students and wounding 13 people before he was arrested, the state's governor and police said.
The shooter entered a common area at Marshall County High School in Benton shortly before 8am local time, pulled out a pistol and began firing at students, witnesses said.
He will be charged with two counts of murder and multiple counts of attempted murder, the Kentucky State Police said.
They believe he acted alone.
The students killed were Bailey Hope, a 15-year-old girl, and Preston Cope, a 15-year-old boy, state police said.
Five of the victims were in critical condition, the police said, but hospital officials said they expected all those wounded in the incident to survive.
Student Bryson Conkwright told TV station WKRN: "I see this guy draw from his side and he pulls out a pistol. I didn't even know what was going on. And then it registered. About the time it registered, this guy was sitting here pulling the trigger into all of us."
"I can hear the gunshots. He was shooting in our group," added Bryson, showing where a bullet grazed his hand.
Apart from those who were shot at, five other people were also injured in the chaos, police said. All of the victims were between 14 and 18 years old. - REUTERS
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