Teen Gunman Dies at Richmond Middle School, Police Receive Tip
A teenage suspect has died from a self-inflicted gun wound following an active shooter incident at a Richmond, Ind., middle school.
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UPDATE Dec. 17: The person who alerted authorities about the teen’s plans to shoot up the school was the gunman’s mother, reports ABC News. The 14-year-old boy did not attend the school but lived in the area. The community held a vigil for his mother on Sunday.
Richmond (Ind.) Community Schools received a tip Thursday morning saying an armed person was headed to the school with the intention of hurting someone.
Police were immediately notified and able to stop the gunman, a 14-year-old boy, from harming anyone, reports CBS News.
Gunfire was exchanged between the teen and police at Dennis Intermediate School until the suspect shot out the glass of a locked door to the school and ran inside. Officers pursued him, exchanged more gunfire, and the suspect eventually took his own life.
All Richmond Community Schools went on lockdown early that morning before the police or gunman arrived.
“Local police had received information and they reacted on that swiftly, and I think [it was] because of their swift reaction and also the swift reaction at the school that no student injuries happened,” said Police Sgt. John Bowling.
Around 8 a.m., the Richmond school district reported the building was secure.
“All students at Dennis Intermediate School are safe. Only the suspect is injured,” the school district tweeted.
Students were transported to Richmond High School and parents were able to pick them up at Civic Hall.
Bowling says it is unclear why the teen, a former student in the district but not Dennis Middle School, targeted the middle school. Police will be looking into the matter further and investigating how the boy obtained the firearm.
Campus Safety will continue to update this article as more information becomes available.
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About the Author
Katie Malafronte, Web Editor
Katie Malafronte is Campus Safety's Web Editor. She graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 2017 with a Bachelor's Degree in Communication Studies and a minor in Writing & Rhetoric. Katie has been CS's Web Editor since 2018.
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