The suspect in the fatal shooting of a student at a North Carolina high school is in custody
One student was fatally wounded Wednesday in a shooting at a high school in the North Carolina city of Winston-Salem, and the suspect is in custody, officials said.
The shooting happened at Mount Tabor High School on the city’s northwest side. Police officers and Forsyth County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the scene at 12:07 p.m. ET., Winston-Salem Police Department Chief Catrina Thompson said at a news conference.
“One student was located with a gunshot wound,” she said fighting back tears. “Medical responders began life-saving measures and the injured student was transported to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries.”
He was identified as William Chavis Raynard Miller Jr., according to the sheriff’s office Twitter page.
The suspect, who authorities think is a fellow student, was taken into custody without incident, according to Forsyth County public affairs officer Christina Howell.
Authorities offered no details about the suspect, a possible motive or what might have led up to the incident.
The school was placed on lockdown after the shooting, the sheriff’s office said on Twitter.
“Many high schools in the area are also on lockdown out of an abundance of caution. There has not been another incident but it is out of an abundance of caution,” Howell said.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the lockdowns were lifted, Thompson said.
After the shooting was reported, numerous law enforcement vehicles were seen parked along both sides of a street near the school, a video from CNN affiliate WXLV showed.
A student at the school told CNN the school went into lockdown after an announcement over the intercom. About 10 minutes later, police with rifles came in yelling, “Police department, put your hands up!”
Officers moved the students to another location in the school, telling them they could bring their cell phones, but: “Everybody stand up. Leave your bags in place.”
Gov. Roy Cooper said earlier in a statement that he has been briefed and is ready to provide any necessary support.
“We must work to ensure the safety of students and educators, quickly apprehend the shooter and keep guns off school grounds,” he said.
The shooting was the second this week at a North Carolina high school. The other took place in Wilmington, where one student was shot Monday at New Hanover High School.
Mount Tabor High School had more than 1,400 students in the 2019-20 school year, according to the most recent data available from the US Department of Education’s statistics center.