Preteen boy shoots himself dead during Zoom class in California

Police in Woodbridge, California are investigating the shocking death of an 11-year-old boy, who fatally shot himself during a video lesson in an apparent suicide.

The boy was attending school via Zoom on Wednesday when, with his microphone and video camera off, he shot himself in the head, CBS Sacramento reported on Thursday. The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office later confirmed that the boy was rushed to hospital and passed away shortly afterwards.

The boy’s sister, who was attending her own virtual class in a nearby room, made the gruesome discovery, and alerted her neighbor and teacher. It is still unclear how the boy obtained the gun.

Schools in San Joaquin County have not opened for in-person learning this year. With some exceptions, children fresh out of kindergarten have been forced to learn online.

With distance now the norm in much of the Western world, mental health problems among children have soared. According to the American Psychiatric Association, the transition from classroom learning to Zoom lessons has taken a heavy toll on kids’ “academic and social development,” particularly among children with attention-deficit and other behavioral disorders.

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