Who was Washington Middle School shooting victim? 13-year-old bully fired six bullets
ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO: News of a shooting incident, just three days after students resumed classes at Washington Middle School, has left everyone devastated. One student was fatally shot by another at the school, and the level of panic that ensued amongst students who were on recess when it happened is unimaginable. While official authorities have yet to make announcements regarding the incident, a news outlet interviewed a boy named Amari Asbury, with the permission of his mother.
Asbury said there were two twins who were beaten up and bullied and their friend Bennie Hargrove decided to confront the bully who has been identified as Juan Saucedo. The incident happened when the two boys were talking after which Saucedo fired six bullets at Hargrove. It's being reported that Saucedo was showing off his gun to other students since morning. The last recorded school shooting was in May when a sixth-grader girl at Rigby Middle School in Idaho went on a shooting spree injuring three before being arrested. Earlier this month, former janitor Kristopher Clay of an Oregon school was arrested for stocking weapons for mass shootings.
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This is Amari, he’s an 8th grader at Washington Middle School. He says it was his new friend that got shot. He said an earlier fight led up to the shooting. It was his second day of school. pic.twitter.com/B5UTHA3VJo
— Ryan Laughlin (@RyanLaughlinKOB) August 13, 2021
Who was Washington Middle School shooting victim?
According to reports, the shooting at the school was an isolated incident and it's not being investigated as a mass shooting. The shooter was immediately taken into custody by a school resource officer. No one else was injured in the incident and the resource officer was praised for his quick action. While there's a lot to unpack about what led to the incident, the victim was a 13-year-old boy, the same age as the shooter. Police have not revealed what grade the two students were in.
"It's just a terrible day for APS, terrible day for this community," Scott Elder, superintendent for Albuquerque Public Schools, said at a press conference. "I want to send out my thoughts and prayers. ... I want to also say thank you to the staff at Washington Middle School who showed tremendous strength and courage ... especially our school resource officer who ran toward the situation and tried to de-escalate the situation." Albuquerque police said they were yet to determine how many shots were fired and what led to the incident.
Classes on Monday, August 17 have been canceled, announced the school which is in lockdown currently and officials had asked parents to come and collect their kids as soon as they can. While there are no classes., grief counselors will be present on campus. "Classes are canceled for students at Washington Middle School Monday, but grief counselors will be at the school from 10 a.m. to noon. Parents will need to accompany students and will need to remain with them the whole time," the Albuquerque Public School board tweeted.