WHAT HAPPENED?

Saugus High School Shooting Suspect Showed No Warning Signs, Say Classmates

A childhood friend of the alleged shooter said his father had passed away over a year ago.

The 16-year-old who allegedly opened fire at Southern California’s Saugus High School, killing two students and injuring at least three others, gave his schoolmates no cause for concern ahead of the Thursday rampage, according to testimonies published by the Los Angeles Times. The suspect is accused of carrying out the 16-second shooting in the quad of the school before firing a bullet into his own head. He is reported to be in grave condition at a hospital. KTLA spoke to people who say they know the boy, who isn’t being named because of his age. Ryan McCracken, 20, a childhood friend of the alleged shooter, said: “His father passed... a little over a year go. His dad—I know he used to make bullets, so I’m assuming he had guns and stuff like that.” Several students who attended the school said the suspect was on the cross-country team, took AP classes, and was part of a Boy Scout troop. Aidan Soto, a 10th-grader, told the Times the suspect was the person he’d “least expect” to commit a shooting. “He would have fun with the team and was a good kid,” Aidan said. “The younger Scouts really looked up to him. He was there when they needed him with anything. I’m bewildered and looking for answers.”