(Photo: David Calvert/Getty Images)
A sixth-grade girl opened fire at an Idaho middle school Thursday and shot and wounded students and an adult, according to authorities.
The student at Rigby Middle School removed a handgun from her backpack and began firing after 9 a.m., the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said at the press conference. Two people were shot in the hallway and another person outside the school.
The adult was treated and released from the hospital, while a girl and boy had non-life-threatening injuries, officials said.
A teacher disarmed the girl and held her until police arrived. A motive for the shooting is still under investigation and the police don’t know where the student obtained the gun.
Once an investigation is complete, a prosecuting attorney said they would be filing “appropriate” charges, possibly including three counts of attempted murder, according to ABC News.
Since 2018, there have been over 400 shooting incidents at K-12 schools nationwide, and 43.8% of the incidents included students bringing the gun to the school, according to data from the K-12 School Shooting Database.
“This is the worst nightmare a school district could ever face,” Superintendent Chad Martin said at the press conference. “We prepare for it, but we’re never truly ready for it.”