2 taken into custody in NC high school shooting
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (AP) - October 24, 2011
The 18-year-old and 15-year-old male suspects and the victim
attend Cape Fear High School in Fayetteville, Cumberland County
Sheriff Earl "Moose" Butler said at a news conference. Both
suspects participated in the shooting and were being questioned, he
said. The weapon, a .22 Daisy rifle and shell casings have been
recovered.
Abercrombie was in stable condition after surgery at Cape Fear
Valley Medical Center, according to Butler, who said she was
standing in a breezeway outside the school cafeteria when she was
shot.
Tanna said the older suspect is scheduled to appear in court on
Tuesday, while the 15-year-old will go to juvenile court, although
an exact date for the student's appearance wasn't known.
The sheriff said the two teens were apprehended with the help of
surveillance video which showed them carrying the rifle inside the
school. The suspects were either in the hallway with the door open
or outside the breezeway where Abercrombie was walking.
While the high school has metal detectors, Butler said he didn't
know if they were used on a daily basis at the school. WTVD
reported that the suspects may have sneaked the rifle into the
rural school in a shirt or pants.
Butler said investigators don't think Abercrombie was the
intended target, but no motive has been established.
"Why did they shoot? I don't know," he said.
The high school and nearby Mac Williams Middle School were
locked down for hours before students were allowed to go home.
Butler said additional staff will be on hand at both schools on
Tuesday to help the school resource officer on duty. The schools
are scheduled to operate as normal.
Asked how long the extra deputies would be on the campuses,
sheriff's office spokeswoman Debbie Tanna said, "As long as it
takes to make sure the school has been put back in order and
students and parents feel confident about their safety."
A police officer assigned to the high school was standing near
Abercrombie when she was shot at about 1 p.m. and immediately
called 911, Tanna said.
Students from the middle school were sent home before their high
school counterparts, who were still gradually leaving the campus by
6 p.m. Students were searched by police and left the building in
long lines holding their hands above their heads before boarding
buses that took them from campus.