ROSWELL, N.M. — The 12-year-old boy who opened fire in a New Mexico middle school gym warned some students away just before the attack, said State Police Chief Pete Kassetas on Wednesday.
Kassetas said the attack at Berrendo Middle School in Roswell was planned in advance. But he said it appeared the boy’s victims — an 11-year-old boy and 13-year-old girl — were chosen randomly.
During a news briefing, Kassetas declined to speculate on a motive or say when charges would be filed. But he said the boy got the shotgun from his family’s home and had three rounds of ammunition.
“All three rounds were expended during the incident,” Kassetas said. “There was no indication that he had any ammunition other than what was loaded in the gun.”
Officials also said Wednesday the 11-year-old boy who was shot in the face and neck remained in critical condition at University Medical Center in Lubbock, Texas. The 13-year-old girl, identified Kendal Sanders, was in satisfactory condition with injuries to the right shoulder.
The 12-year-old boy’s parents and grandparents issued a statement through their lawyer Wednesday, saying their thoughts and prayers are with the two children who were shot.
They added that they love the boy and will continue to cooperate with law enforcement as they piece together “how this awful tragedy occurred.”
Kassetas said investigators worked through the night executing search warrants at the school, and determined through those searches that the attack was planned. They examined the boy’s locker and the duffel bag the seventh-grader used to transport the 20-gauge shotgun to school.
The police chief added authorities had some indication that the boy verbally warned “select students” about the attack as he arrived at the school.
The whole thing was over in 10 seconds, officials said, after the boy shot at the ceiling, the floor and then the students. An eighth-grade social studies teacher, John Masterson, then stepped in and talked the boy into dropping his weapon.
