This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20975608
The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 6 | Version 7 |
|---|---|
| Californian teacher talks student out of school shooting | Californian teacher talks student out of school shooting |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A teacher at a high school in California has been praised by police for averting a serious shooting incident. | A teacher at a high school in California has been praised by police for averting a serious shooting incident. |
| The teacher and a campus supervisor talked a gunman into putting down his weapon after he had shot and injured one pupil at Taft Union High School. | The teacher and a campus supervisor talked a gunman into putting down his weapon after he had shot and injured one pupil at Taft Union High School. |
| Police said the gunman had enough ammunition to kill many people. | Police said the gunman had enough ammunition to kill many people. |
| The injured student was taken to hospital in an air ambulance and is in a critical condition. | The injured student was taken to hospital in an air ambulance and is in a critical condition. |
| The drama started after 09:00 local time (17:00 GMT) when the gunman, also a student, arrived late, armed with a shotgun, at the school in the small town in California's central valley. | The drama started after 09:00 local time (17:00 GMT) when the gunman, also a student, arrived late, armed with a shotgun, at the school in the small town in California's central valley. |
| Students and staff telephoned police, but before officers could arrive, the suspect had shot at two people in a class in the science block. One shot missed its target. | Students and staff telephoned police, but before officers could arrive, the suspect had shot at two people in a class in the science block. One shot missed its target. |
| The teacher, who had been grazed by a pellet, then intervened. | The teacher, who had been grazed by a pellet, then intervened. |
| He and another school official who entered the classroom are reported by US media to have warned the suspect that there would be no shooting in his class - at which point the gunman put down his weapon and police officers arrested him. | He and another school official who entered the classroom are reported by US media to have warned the suspect that there would be no shooting in his class - at which point the gunman put down his weapon and police officers arrested him. |
| "They talked him into putting that shotgun down. He in fact told the teacher, `I don't want to shoot you,' and named the person that he wanted to shoot," Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood said. | "They talked him into putting that shotgun down. He in fact told the teacher, `I don't want to shoot you,' and named the person that he wanted to shoot," Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood said. |
| "The heroics of these two people goes without saying. They could have just as easily... tried to get out of the classroom and left students, and they didn't," he added. " | "The heroics of these two people goes without saying. They could have just as easily... tried to get out of the classroom and left students, and they didn't," he added. " |
| Parents of pupils said the suspect had been suspended last year from the school 120 miles (190km) north of Los Angeles. | Parents of pupils said the suspect had been suspended last year from the school 120 miles (190km) north of Los Angeles. |
| Deputies from the local sheriff''s office and town officials conducted a search of the school and its grounds to make sure no-one else was involved and all other students were safe. | Deputies from the local sheriff''s office and town officials conducted a search of the school and its grounds to make sure no-one else was involved and all other students were safe. |
| The shooting comes four weeks after a gunman killed 26 pupils and staff at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. | The shooting comes four weeks after a gunman killed 26 pupils and staff at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. |
| That incident has provoked a nationwide debate about gun laws in the US. Vice-President Joe Biden has said his task force on gun control will make its recommendations to President Barack Obama as early as Tuesday. | That incident has provoked a nationwide debate about gun laws in the US. Vice-President Joe Biden has said his task force on gun control will make its recommendations to President Barack Obama as early as Tuesday. |
| Taft Union High School will be closed for classes on Friday, but will have counsellors on campus to talk to worried students. | Taft Union High School will be closed for classes on Friday, but will have counsellors on campus to talk to worried students. |
| Former pupils of the school include the distinguished US Air Force pilot, General Gordon Graham, the American football player Russell Letlow and the television actress Jeanne Cooper. | Former pupils of the school include the distinguished US Air Force pilot, General Gordon Graham, the American football player Russell Letlow and the television actress Jeanne Cooper. |