In yet another shooting rampage in an American school, a ninth-grade boy opened fire in the cafeteria of his school on Friday, killing a female classmate and injuring four other students before turning the gun on himself. Three of the injured, struck in the head, were said to be in critical condition.
Gunshots rang out at the Marysville-Pilchuck High School, about 50 km north of Seattle, prompting students in the crowded cafeteria to run for cover.
Students identified the shooter as Jaylen Fryberg, who was recently named the school’s homecoming prince. One of his friends described the boy as “an outgoing person that everyone in the school loved”. Belonging to a prominent Tulalip tribal family, he was regarded by some as “a future leader”.
Fryberg and a girl, whose name was not released immediately, were confirmed dead. Two other girls and two boys were injured. Both the injured boys are reported to be the shooter’s cousins — Andrew Fryberg, 15, and Nate Hatch, 14.
While there was no immediate word from the police on what triggered the shooting episode, the shooter was “reportedly angry about a girl”, according to the Seattle Times.
Another student was quoted by the Associated Press as saying that the shooter had recently fought with another boy over a girl and was very upset about that.
“He was not a violent person,” the student said, adding: “His family is known all around town. He was very well known. That’s what makes it so bizarre.”
A day before the shooting, a posting by Fryberg on Twitter said, “It won’t last…. It’ll never last….” Reports said that other images on social media showed him joyful, playing sports and spending time with his girlfriend.