What to Know
- Two students were shot and killed by a classmate Thursday at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita
- One of three students wounded in the shooting remained hospitalized Saturday
- The 16-year-old shooter also was hospitalized. He is brain dead and not expected to recover
Two girls wounded when a classmate pulled a gun from his backpack and opened fire at a Southern California high school campus are in good spirits as they recover at a hospital, doctors said Friday.
The students, ages 15 and 14, were doing well after they were treated for gunshot wounds suffered in Thursday's shooting at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita. The 15-year-old victim was airlifted to the hospital suffering from a single gunshot wound. One of the victims was released from the hospital Saturday afternoon.
"Once we were done, they were both sitting up, smiling and talking," said Dr. Boris H. Borazjani, of Providence Holy Cross Hospital. "They held their composure, despite being shot. And, being shot in the torso is a big deal."
Dr. Evan Valle added that "both girls were very stoic."
Doctors said the 15-year-old girl was shot below the belly button. The round was lodged in her hip. Her wound was cleaned and the bullet was retrieved.
The 14-year-old was shot in the lower right abdomen.
A third student was treated and released from a hospital Thursday.
Two classmates were killed in the shooting. One was identified Friday by the coroner's office as 15-year-old as Gracie Anne Muehlberger.
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Gunfire began Thursday around 7:30 a.m. Authorities estimated that the shooter took just 16 seconds to pull out the weapon, shoot five classmates and then himself. At the time, students were standing around and greeting each other in the large central outdoor area.
At a Friday morning news conference, Borazjani called the shooting at the campus of about 2,300 students an "unacceptable public health problem."
The girls' families appreciated the outpouring of support from the community. Chaplains and counselors have visited the hospital as the students mourn their classmates.
The 16-year-old shooter was brain dead and removed from life support. He was pronounced dead Friday afternoon. Investigators said they're attempting to determine a motive for the violence.
