- “Tomorrow, they will all be counselors,” superintendent of schools said Wednesday
- Shooter’s father bought the gun used in the shooting; other guns were locked up, source says
- The 12-year-old is accused of shooting two students in his school’s gymnasium
- His parents say a judge ordered that their son receive mental health treatment
(CNN) — New Mexico’s Berrendo Middle School reopens today, even though many who return have no idea why a preteen may have taken a shotgun to the school and randomly shot at them.
And teachers have the task Thursday of helping youngsters make sense of a shooting they themselves may not understand.
“Our teachers tomorrow have a very, very difficult and stressful day coming,” Roswell Superintendent Tom Burris said at a news conference Wednesday. “Tomorrow, they will all be counselors. Every staff member is in there, working to prepare the kids for tomorrow.”
Police were still investigating the shooting that left two students seriously injured and the suspected shooter in custody, New Mexico State Police Chief Pete Kassetas said.
Three shells and a plan
Police say the 12-year-old suspect entered his middle school Tuesday morning with a 20-gauge pump shotgun — which he had sawed off — and he had three shells and a plan.
The first shot, which Kassetas characterized as “birdshot,” or small pellets, hit the ceiling. The second went into the gym floor. The third sped toward the stands where, about 12 to 15 feet away, it hit two students who had been waiting with others for classes to start.
“The victims were random,” the state police chief said.
Police have carried out three search warrants and interviewed more than 60 people, Kassetas said.
“We did find evidence that the suspect had planned this event,” Kassetas said. “I can’t discuss the particulars as to why.”
The boy faces three counts of aggravated battery, according to New Mexico state
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