An increased police presence will grace the halls of Gardena High School on what will be a difficult day for many students after yesterday's "accidental" shooting of two students, according to the Daily Breeze. Grief counselors will also be on campus to help students work through what they witnessed during the shooting and lockdown.
The 17-year-old student who brought the gun to school in his backpack was arrested and booked for assault with a deadly weapon. It is still unclear to police and school officials how the gun made it through school metal detectors, but an armed school police officer said the metal detectors are used "randomly" on students, which allowed the gun to slip by undetected in the backpack.
The armed police officer confirmed the gun was an automatic weapon and not a revolver, which further explains how a gun could accidentally discharge as the student set his backpack on a desk in health class.
Two students were injured in the shooting with the same bullet. A 15-year-old boy was shot in the neck and the bullet passed through him to hit a 15-year-old girl in the head. The boy is listed in fair condition and the girl had surgery to remove a blood clot from her brain. She remains in critical condition.
