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10 Apr, 2017 18:08

1 child, 2 adults dead in San Bernardino school murder-suicide

1 child, 2 adults dead in San Bernardino school murder-suicide

Four people, including a teacher and two students, have been shot at an elementary school in San Bernardino, California. One student is in stable condition, while the other three people were killed. The incident is believed to have been a murder-suicide, according to police. The shooting stemmed from a domestic violence situation.

Police have confirmed the shooter as Cedric Anderson, 53, who shot and killed himself after shooting and killing his wife, teacher Karen Elaine Smith, 53. Two students standing behind Smith were also struck. 8-year-old Jonathan Martinez died after being airlifted to a hospital. An unnamed 9-year-old boy is currently in stable condition.

The weapon was described as a "large caliber revolver."

San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan confirmed in an afternoon press conference that the first report of the shooting came in at 10:27am, and that the first units of police arrived at North Park Elementary School at 10:34am, where eight police officers entered a special needs classroom, the sole location of the shooting.

Burguan told reporters that the shooter entered the school through the front office, telling employees that he was there to drop something off for his wife.

The classroom had 15 students of grades 1st through 4th.

The shooting occurred in a classroom at North Park School. Along with the three victims, the suspect is believed to be down as well, according to San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan.

Two adults ‒ a man and a woman ‒ are dead in the classroom, and police “believe the suspect is down and there's no further threat,” Burguan said.

The gunman checked in with the front office, where he was known to school staff, San Bernardino Police Captain Ron Maass said.

The two students were transported to the hospital, one via helicopter and the other in an ambulance, a police spokesman told reporters. They are in critical condition.

"The children we do not believe were targeted," the spokesman said.

The fire department has set up a triage to assess and treat victims at the scene. Law enforcement was on the scene within seven minutes of the shooting.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department is assisting in the investigation. The school will be closed for "at least" the next two days, police said.

North Park, Cajon and Hillside Elementary Schools are on lockdown, while the San Bernardino campus of California State University is under a shelter-in-place order.

Students were evacuated to Cal State San Bernardino, while parents were told to pick them up at Cajon High School. They must be listed on the students' emergency contact forms and show photo ID.

This is the second mass shooting in the southern California city in since December 2015. In that incident, which was later categorized as an act of terrorism, a married couple opened fire on a holiday party for the husband’s work, killing 14 and injuring 21.

"Tragedy has struck us again, and we need to now work through that and be there for all of the involved parties," the San Bernardino PD said.

San Bernardino experienced a surge in violence in 2016, including a 41 percent increase in homicides over the previous year. The 62 slayings made 2016 the city’s deadliest year since 1995, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The White House contacted San Bernardino Mayor R. Carey Davis, he told reporters. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos tweeted her support.

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