Killing deepens gun fears as US schools reopen

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina－A high school student was shot and killed on Wednesday by a fellow student, who was taken into custody hours after the incident, police said.

William Chavis Raynard Miller Jr was shot at Mount Tabor High School in Winston-Salem shortly after noon, said Winston-Salem Police Chief Catrina Thompson to reporters. Paramedics rushed Miller, whose age was not disclosed, to a hospital where he later died. After a five-hour search, police said the suspect, a student whom they declined to identify, was taken into custody without incident.

The shooting in a city of 250,000 people was the latest outbreak of gun violence that has become a regular occurrence at schools and college campuses across the United States over the past several years.

Thompson gave no further details on the shooting or a motive, but said the investigation was ongoing.

As the incident unfolded, other schools in the area were put on lockdown as dozens of police officers, paramedics and panicked parents raced to Mount Tabor High School.

"It's a punch in your stomach and takes your breath away not knowing if your children are safe," said Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O'Neill to reporters.

Terrified students at Mount Tabor hid under desks. At least one student had a seizure, Thompson said.

Police and school officials worked into the evening to reunite parents with students, and grief counselors met with families at the reunification center.

After a year of remote learning due to the pandemic, US students returning to attend classes in-person this month face a renewed risk of mass shootings, which have plagued the education system for years.

2nd shooting this week

The incident was the second school shooting this week in North Carolina. On Monday, a student suffered non-life-threatening injuries when another student opened fire at him at New Hanover High School in Wilmington, local media reported. The suspect faces four charges including attempted first-degree murder.

"For the second time this week, we have seen a shooting in a North Carolina school," said Governor Roy Cooper in a statement posted on Twitter. "We must work to ensure the safety of students and educators, quickly apprehend the shooter and keep guns off school grounds."

National Parent Teacher Association President Anna King and North Carolina PTA President Francelia Burwell also called on lawmakers to address gun violence.

"Parents should not have to fear for the safety of their children due to senseless gun violence," they said.

However, such incidents reported by local media often fail to garner national headlines when relatively few students are involved. It seems that only a massacre, such as the 2018 shooting that saw 17 students killed in Parkland, Florida, is remarkable enough to attract wider attention.

Agencies via Xinhua