DOWN FOR YOU, THE PIECES IN THE WAY IT’S ALL HAPPENED HERE. LET’S DO THAT
>> Announcer: LOCAL 4 NEWS
STARTS NOW WITH A BREAKING
NEWS ALERT.
>>> GOOD AFTERNOON AT 4:00
BREAKING NEWS WE HAVE BEEN
COVERING A SHOOTING AT
OXFORD HIGH SCHOOL.
THERE ARE A HANDFUL OF
VICTIMS THREE PEOPLE
BELIEVED TO BE STUDENTS ARE
DEAD.
SIX OTHERS ARE INJURED.
OUR COVERAGE CONTINUES NOW
FIRST AT 4.
DURING THE SHOCK AND HORROR
OF THE SHOOTING STUDENTS
WERE RUSHED TO A MEIJER
STORE NEAR THE SCHOOL.
>> THAT’S WHERE THE
SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT GAVE US
AN UPDATE ABOUT AN HOUR AGO.
OUR PAULA TUTMAN WAS THERE
ASKING SOME OF THE
QUESTIONS.
SHE’S GOT AN UPDATE NOW ON
THE LATEST.
PAULA?
>> Reporter: YOU KNOW, DEVIN,
YOU SAID THE PERFECT WORD
THAT IS SO CODIFY ALL OF.
THIS IT’S VERY DIFFICULT TO
DO THERE ARE A LOT OF MOVING
PARTS RIGHT NOW.
BUT THIS IS WHAT WE DO KNOW
BASED ON WHAT THE
UNDERSHERIFF REPORTED.
WE HAVE THREE STUDENTS WHO
ARE DAD.
SIX PEOPLE INJURED INCLUDING
A SCHOOLTEACHER THEY HAVE
BEEN TAKEN TO VARIOUS
HOSPITALS.
THIS ALL WENT DOWN IN A
MATTER OF FIVE MINUTES.
THERE IS AN JOHN SITE POLICE
LIAISON WHO HELP ARREST THE
15-YEAR-OLD, THE 15-YEAR-OLD
STUDENT WHO CAME INTO THIS
SCHOOL WITH A LOADED
AUTOMATIC HANDGUN AND BASED
ON THE NUMBER OF SHOTS WE’RE
HEARING 15 TO 20, APPARENTLY
HAD ADDITIONAL MAGAZINES.
THE WAY THE SCHOOL IS LAID
OUT.
THIS IS, I BELIEVE, ONE OF
THE LARGEST, IF NOT THE
LARGEST SINGLE LEVEL HIGH
SCHOOLS THAT IS THAT BROAD.
WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
SOMEWHERE IN THE
NEIGHBORHOOD OF 56 CLASSES.
THEY’VE GOT VERY STRINGENT
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS.
TWO WAYS IN WHEN SCHOOL
OPENS, TWO I WAYS OUT WHEN
SCHOOL CLOSES BUT AT 7:45
THE DOOR 17 CLOSES THERE’S
ONLY ONE DOOR YOU CAN GET IN
AND YOU HAVE TO BE BUZZED
IN.
BUT WHAT THEY DON’T HAVE IS
THEY DO NOT HAVE METAL
DETECTORS AND THEY DO NOT DO
BAG CHECKS EVEN THOUGH THEY
ACTUALLY LIMIT THE SIZE OF
BAG YOU CAN’T BRING IN A
BACKPACK BUT THEY LIMIT THE
SIZE OF BAGS THAT CAN COME
IN.
NOW THE TEACHERS ARE ALSO
ABLE TO LOCK THE DOORS FROM
THE INSIDE.
WE BELIEVE THIS HAPPENED IN
AN AREA IN AN EDUCATION AREA
CALLED "AREA D" I BELIEVE
IT’S CALLED.
THAT’S BASED ON THE SHAPE.
BUT WHAT WE’RE UNDERSTANDING
IS THAT TEACHERS ARE ABLE TO
LOCK THE DOORS FROM THE
INSIDE COMMUNICATE WITH ONE
ANOTHER AND AS SOON AS IT’S
SAFE THEY’RE ACTUALLY ABLE
TO GET STUDENTS OUT OF THE
BUILDING.
SO JUST KIND OF GOING WITH
ME SO I CAN GIVE FOLKS AN
IDEA.
THIS IS LAPEER, THERE’S THE
SCHOOL RIGHT UP THERE ON THE
HILL.
THAT’S THE HILL RIGHT THERE.
AND THEN THOSE STUDENTS WHO
ARE ABLE TO EVACUATE FROM
THE SCHOOL ACTUALLY COME TO
THIS MEYER.
I KNOW HAVE YOU BEEN TALKING
ABOUT THAT.
THIS IS A REUNIFICATION STOP
WHERE PARENTS ARE ABLE TO
ACTUALLY PICK UP THEIR
CHILDREN.
AND THE UNDERSHERIFF
ACTUALLY SAYS THE SCHOOL DID
A PHENOMENAL JOB IN GETTING
THE KIDS SAFELY OUT OF THAT
SCHOOL AND OUT OF FUTURE
HARM’S WAY BEFORE THEY
REALIZED THAT THE GUNMAN HAD
ACTUALLY BEEN TAKEN IN TO
CUSTODY.
>> THERE WAS AN ORDERLY
EVACUATION.
THE SCHOOL DID EVERYTHING
RIGHT.
EVERYBODY REMAINED IN PLACE.
THEY BARRICADED THEMSELVES.
TIM HERE HAS DONE A GREAT
JOB IN TERMS OF PREPARING
YOU NEVER WANT TO PREPARE
FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS BUT
YOU HAVE TO AND THE SCHOOL
DISTRICT HAS DONE A
WONDERFUL JOB PREPARING ALL
THE DOORS OVER THERE ARE
MARKED AT THE HIGH SCHOOL.
IF YOU HAVE SEEN THEM.
DEPUTIES RESPONDED THEY KNEW
WHERE TO GO.
WE’VE HAD ASSISTANCE FROM
OTHER POLICE AGENCIES NEARBY.
>> Reporter: OKAY SO, INDEED
WE HAVE A 15-YEAR-OLD WHO IS
IN CUSTODY RIGHT NOW.
HE’S LAWYERED UP SAID HE
DOESN’T WANT TO TALK ANY
MORE BUT THIS DOES NOT STOP
THE INVESTIGATION.
SO WHAT HAS TO HAPPEN NOW
HAVE YOU LOTS OF AGENCIES
WHO ARE NOW INVOLVED IN THIS,
INCLUDING THE F.B.I.
THEY’VE GOT TO COMB THROUGH
SOCIAL MEDIA, THEY HAVE TO
TALK TO THIS STUDENT’S
FAMILY.
THEY HAVE TO TALK TO FRIENDS,
OR ASSOCIATES OR PEOPLE WHO
MAY HAVE KNOWN SOMETHING
BEFORE.
OUR JASON COLTHORP WHO
TALKED TO A STUDENT SAYING
HE HAD CONCERNS FOR SAFETY
JUST BASED ON RUMORS AND
RUMBLINGS AROUND THE SCHOOL.
BUT AGAIN THIS IS AN ONGOING
INVESTIGATION.
BUT THIS IS WHAT THE
UNDERSHERIFF BELIEVES THIS
IS WHERE HE BELIEVES THE
INVESTIGATION IS RIGHT NOW.
>> WE BELIEVE HE ACTED
ALONE.
THERE’S NO OTHER SHOOTERSES
ARE THERE’S NO OTHER GUNMEN.
WE DON’T BELIEVE ANYBODY AT
THIS POINT IN TIME PENDING
FURTHER INVESTIGATION THAT
HE PLANNED THIS WITH ANYBODY
ELSE.
BUT WE WILL BE DOING SOCIAL
MEDIA CHECKS, WE WILL BE
DOING TALKING TO ALL THE
STUDENTS AS MANY AS WE CAN
THAT WE’RE TODAY.
THAT’S WHY WE HAVE SO MANY
OFFICERS HERE AND SO MANY
DETECTIVES HERE SO THAT
EVERYBODY AND ANYBODY CAN BE
TALKED TO THAT HAS ANY
KNOWLEDGE OF HIM OR WHAT HE
WAS GOING TO DO OR AFTER THE
FACT.
>> Reporter: ABSOLUTELY.
SO THIS IS STILL ONGOING
STILL A LOT OF WORK TO BE
DONE.
THIS IS A COMMUNITY THAT IS
ACHING RIGHT NOW.
WHEN THERE’S A SCHOOL
SHOOTING THEN ALL
COMMUNITIES ACHE BECAUSE
THIS CAN HAPPEN ABSOLUTELY
ANYWHERE.
AGAIN, WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
THREE STUDENTS, YOUNG PEOPLE
WHO ARE CUT DOWN IN THEIR
PRIME.
SIX PEOPLE INJURED AT
VARIOUS HOSPITALS, INCLUDING
THAT TEACHER.
WE DON’T KNOW THEIR
CONDITION YET.
SO WE DON’T KNOW HOW SERIOUS
THOSE INJURIES ARE.
THIS IS A COMMUNITY IN PAIN.
THEY ARE SUPPOSED THE
SUPERINTENDENT AND THE
UNDERSHERIFF ARE SUPPOSED TO
COME BACK AND TALK TO US
AGAIN.
IF I UNDERSTAND THEY HAVE A
LOT OF WORK TO DO SO WE
CAN’T HOLD THEM TO THAT.
BUT INDEED, THE
SUPERINTENDENT IS ASKING FOR
EVERYONE TO GIVE THEM
SUPPORT.
>> PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR
FAMILIES HERE IN OXFORD AND
OUR STUDENTS.
I’M LEARNING INFORMATION
REALTIME JUST AS YOU ALL
ARE.
>> CAN YOU TALK TO ME ABOUT
WHY YOU DIDN’T HAVE METAL
DETECTORS?
>> NO.
>> Reporter: OKAY.
>> THAT’S MY ANSWER TO YOUR
QUESTION, NO.
>> Reporter: OKAY IS THAT
SOMETHING THAT HAS EVER COME
UP?
>> NOT THAT I CAN RECALL,
NO.
>> Reporter: I THINK THAT’S
SOMETHING THAT A LOT OF
SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT DON’T
HAVE METAL DETECTORS WILL
HAVE TO THINK ABOUT.
OBVIOUSLY, THEY WERE
PREPARED, THEY DID THE
TRAINING THE ALICE TRAINING
WITH STUDENTS WHERE THEY
LEARN ACTIVE SHOOTER
PROTOCOLS.
THEY HAD THIS ONE WAY IN AND
ONE WAY OUT WHEN SCHOOL IS
OPEN.
THEY HAD LIMITED SIZE
BACKPACKS.
ONLY THING THEY DIDN’T HAVE
WERE THESE METAL DETECTORS
AND THEY DIDN’T HAVE BAG
CHECKS.
A LOT GOING ON.
STILL A LOT TO UNHACK.
LET ME THROW IT BACK TO YOU
FOR NOW.
>> YOU BET PAULA WE WILL
CHECK BACK IN WITH YOU
SHORTLY NO DOUBT AND
CERTAINLY AS WE PREPARE FOR