Two people were arrested on Tuesday following a school shooting in northern California. The attack was on Ridgway High School in Santa Rosa, California, according to a report by the Daily Mail. The suspects led police on a brief manhunt before they were apprehended.
The gunman fired shots outside of Ridgway High at 9:10 a.m. PT, authorities say. He then fled, sending local police scrambling and putting other local schools in lockdown. Three different schools reportedly responded. The second person arrested was a getaway driver, police believe.
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The shooting is believed to be a targeted attack, and not a mass shooting. Police say that there is no longer a threat to the community.
The gunman reportedly shot one male victim in the stomach outside of Ridgway High. He then fled the scene with the same driver that had brought him there. Later, they were seen back at the school, being removed in handcuffs.
The victim was driven to the hospital by a friend. He is currently undergoing surgery. There is no word on his condition.
Aerial footage from the area shows the panic the whole incident caused. Students and faculty milled around, and authorities crambled to organize them. One photo shows a group of students handcuffed and made to sit on bleachers by an outdoor basketball court as police stood watch.
Many officers were in riot gear, and it was unclear what the situation there was. Some teachers reportedly called into local news station Kron 4, saying the students were lined up outside for their own protection.
Meanwhile, Ridgway High shares a campus with Ridgway College. It also neighbors St. Luke Lutheran Church and School, so there were plenty of crowded public areas nearby to feel the panic. With the spate of mass shootings in recent years, all three schools went into lockdown just to be safe.
Santa Rosa is located about 50 miles north of San Francisco, and is the latest town to feel the adrenaline spike of gun violence. As news of the shooting spread, the usual debate about gun laws flared up on social media.
Seriously wtf. #santarosa pic.twitter.com/JkbC749zXX
— @3am (@3fuckingam) October 22, 2019
“Ridgeway School is a small school next to the high school my kids went to,” one person wrote, adding to a post from Moms Demand Action. “Thinking of all the parents frightened by today’s events in the wonderful community of Santa Rosa.”
“OMG another school shooting, Santa Rosa high School. I think we need to stop sending kids to ‘school,’” added another. “But then who is gonna stay with them while the parent (s) are at work. Gotta work if you want a roof, car, food, clothes etc If u aren’t ‘providing’ u can have kids taken away.”
