- The left image, provided by family, shows Daniel Parmertor, who died Monday following a shooting rampage at Chardon High School in Ohio. Russell King Jr., right, shown in a yearbook photo, was declared dead on Tuesday, authorities said.
A third student who was wounded in a
shooting rampage at an Ohio high school died Tuesday morning, according
to hospital spokeswoman.
The family of Demetrius Hewlin released a statement following his death.
"We are very saddened by the loss of our son
and others in our Chardon community," Hewlin's family said in a
statement. "Demetrius was a happy young man who loved life and his
family and friends."
Earlier Tuesday, Chardon Police Chief Tim
McKenna said during a news conference that 17-year-old Russell King Jr.,
who was airlifted to a hospital following the shooting, "has passed."
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Two other students were wounded in the shooting. Another student, 16-year-old Daniel Parmertor, died hours after the shooting.
McKenna would not disclose the identity of
the alleged gunman, saying, "For legal reasons, I will not release the
name of the person who's being brought before the judge this afternoon."
Another press conference is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.
A lawyer for the suspect's family has
identified him to a Cleveland television station as T.J. Lane, a
17-year-old junior at the high school who was described by fellow
classmates as an outcast.
The teenager is suspected of targeting King and four other classmates inside the school's cafeteria at around 7:30 a.m. Monday.
Witnesses say the gunman opened fire on the
group before being chased from the building by a teacher and apprehended
by authorities about a half a mile away.
Lawyer Robert Farinacci said Lane's family
is mourning "this terrible loss for their community" and "trying to
understand how the tragedy happened."
In a statement issued to WKYC-TV in
Cleveland Monday night, Farinacci said the family of Lane offered "their
most heartfelt and sincere condolences" to the family of Parmertor.
Farinacci said Lane's family is praying for the other injured students
from Chardon High School.
Police have not released the alleged
shooter's name because he has not been charged yet. McKenna said Tuesday
that the motive remains unclear.
Farinacci said Lane "pretty much sticks to
himself but does have some friends and has never been in trouble over
anything that we know about."
Fifteen-year-old Danny Komertz, who
witnessed the shooting, said Lane was known as an outcast who had
apparently been bullied. But others disputed that.
"Even though he was quiet, he still had friends," said Tyler Lillash, 16. "He was not bullied."
An education official said late Monday the suspected shooter is a student at nearby Lake Academy, not Chardon High.
Brian Bontempo declined to answer any more
questions about the student. Bontempo is the superintendent of the Lake
County Educational Service Center, which operates the academy.
The alternative school in Willoughby serves
7th through 12th grades. Students may have been referred to the school
because of academic or behavioral problems.
Law enforcement officials described the
suspect as a "victim of bullying" and an "outcast." FBI officials would
not comment on a motive.
Parmertor's family released a statement
Monday through MetroHealth System spokeswoman Shannon Mortland that
said: "We are shocked by this senseless tragedy. Danny was a bright
young boy who had a bright future ahead of him. The family is torn by
this loss. We ask that you respect our privacy during this difficult
time."
Joe Bergant, superintendent of schools in
Chardon, a town of about 5,100 people, said during the press conference
Tuesday that classes will fully resume Friday in the Ohio district.
Bergant said parents, students and faculty will be invited to the
schools for counseling at various times before then.
Nate Mueller, a high school junior who was
hit in the right ear, told the newspaper that he and his friends were
sitting in the cafeteria when the shooter approached them at around 7:30
a.m.
Mueller said he turned around after hearing a gunshot behind him and was struck on his ear, the newspaper reported.
"My friends were crawling on the floor, and
one of my friends was bent over the table, and he was shot," he told the
newspaper. "It was almost like a firecracker went off. I turned around
and saw him standing with a gun and I saw him take a shot."
Another witness, freshman Danny Komertz,
said he was just about to leave for his first-period health class when
he heard a loud popping sound and then saw the gunman open fire.
The 15-year-old Komertz says that there were
at least 100 students in the cafeteria at the time and that most fled
immediately as shots were fired.
He said one student who authorities say was killed was trying to get under a table to protect himself and shield his face.
Teacher Joe Ricci had just begun class when
he heard shots and slammed the door to his classroom, yelling, "Lock
down!" to students, according to Karli Sensibello, a student whose
sister was in Ricci's classroom.
A few minutes later, Ricci heard a student
moaning outside, opened the door and pulled in student Nick Walczak who
had been shot several times, Sensibello said in an email. Ricci
comforted Walczak and let him use his cellphone to call his girlfriend
and parents, Sensibello said. She said her sister was too upset to talk.
Student Heather Ziska, who was just feet
away when the gunman opened fire, said a normal morning was interrupted
by strange sounds in a hallway, then the sight of the gunman beginning
to shoot.
The 17-year-old junior said she and other
students began hearing popping noises in a nearby hallway. Ziska said
she then saw a boy with a gun who she recognized as a fellow student
come into the cafeteria and start shooting.
She said she and several others immediately
ran outside, while other friends ran into a middle school and others
locked themselves in a teachers' lounge.
The 1,100-student high school is about 30 miles east of Cleveland.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/02/27/ohio-high-school-on-lockdown-after-reports-shooting/#ixzz1nlr1wh7v
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