A 16-year-old Santa Ana High school student who shot by another teen near campus after school was still in critical condition Friday night, authorities said.
The boy was shot in the torso and rushed to the hospital where he was listed in critical condition, according to the Orange County Fire Department.
He was out of surgery late Friday night, but was still critical with internal bleeded. More surgeries are expected.
The 10th-grade boy was walking west down Walnut Street, away from campus, with a classmate when another teen ran ahead of them and then turned and fired from a handgun, Santa Ana Police Department Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said.
That behavior makes police think the boy may have been targeted.
"This individual that was behind our victim specifically went in front of the victim and came back to him," Bertagna said. "For us, what's causing this? Was there an altercation at school?"
Police are working with school officials to find out if there was an altercation that led to the shooting, Bertagna said.
Local
Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
The shooter, who wore a black hooded sweatshirt, was described as a stocky Latino male aged 16 to 17.
The shooting occured around 3 p.m., officials said. It took place at 914 W. Walnut Street, just across Flower Street from campus.
"There was a lot of cops, and I also saw it on Facebook," said student Karine Leal. "There was a lot of people talking about it."
After the suspect fired a single shot, the victim ran, collapsing in an alley behind Walnut Street, the school's principal, Julie Infante, said.
Friday was a normal school day, then the shooting happened 20 minutes after classes were released, Infante said.
A student said everything was peaceful on campus, attributing the calm to seniors' excitement about graduating soon.
Follow NBCLA for the latest LA news, events and entertainment: iPhone/iPad App | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Instagram | RSS | Text Alerts | Email Alerts
