As Chardon, Ohio, reels from a horrific high-school shooting this morning, one student who says he was sitting with some of the victims identified the shooter as a schoolmate, 17-year-old T.J. Lane. Lane allegedly opened fire in the cafeteria of Chardon High School at around 7:30 a.m., striking five students. WOIO reported that two died later in the day at a local hospital and a third is listed in critical condition. The witness, Nate Mueller, told the Cleveland Plain Dealer that he saw Lane silently moving about the cafeteria shooting at other students. Mueller was hit in the right ear, but managed to escape and call 911. Lane is said to be in custody and cooperating with investigators. Another student told CNN that Lane “came from a really broken-down home and he was living with his grandparents.”
One parent told a CNN affiliate that the shooter was not firing randomly but was “going for certain people.”
The 1,000-student school was locked down for much of the morning, and then the rest of the students were evacuated to another building nearby. The shooting took place in Chardon, Ohio, about 30 miles east of Cleveland. Ohio Gov. John R. Kasich released a statement praising local law enforcement and asking for prayers for the injured.
WOIO reports that the gunman was a 17-year-old student and that he was chased out of the school by a teacher before being apprehended by bystanders and cooperating with police.
