A 17-year-old student opened fire outside a high school in Santa Rosa Tuesday morning, injuring another teenage student before being taken into custody, according to police.
The shooting just before 9 a.m. on the edge of the Ridgway High School campus erupted after the two students got into a verbal altercation, Santa Rosa police Capt. John Cregan said. The victim, a 16-year-old Ridgway student, suffered two gunshot wounds to his upper body and was listed in stable condition.
Following the shooting, the suspect, also a Ridgway student, handed off the gun to another person and returned to a classroom on campus, Cregan said. Authorities eventually identified the suspect and took him into custody on suspicion of attempted murder. He could face additional charges, Cregan said.
The person who was handed the gun left the campus with the firearm in a backpack. Police have yet to find that person or the gun, Cregan said during a Tuesday afternoon news conference.
"We have no understanding at this point if that kid understood what was in that backpack. We just have evidence to believe that a vehicle left that area with a backpack containing the firearm," Cregan said. "Detectives are still actively working this investigation."
Police said the shooting was isolated and never considered to be an active shooter situation.
"At this point, there are no other students that are suspected of being involved in this incident," Cregan said. "The evidence is very clear that the one shooter was involved, and there is no evidence to show that there was a threat to the other students on the campus."
Local
Ridgway High School, Santa Rosa High School and Santa Rosa Junior College were placed on lockdown during the ordeal. The lockdown orders were lifted around 11:30 a.m.
