TAFT, Calif. —
A student was shot and wounded at a rural San Joaquin Valley high school Thursday and another student was taken into custody, officials said.
The shooting occurred about 9 a.m. at Taft Union High School, a community of fewer than 10,000 people amidst oil and natural gas production fields about 120 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
The student who was shot was flown to a hospital in Bakersfield, said Ray Pruitt, spokesman for the Kern County Sheriff’s Department. There was no immediate word on the victim’s condition.
Pruitt said the suspect is a student, and a shotgun was used in the attack.
Kern County Fire Department Eric Coughran told KBAK-TV that another person suffered some type of injuries in the incident but refused medical attention.
KERO-TV Bakersfield reported that the station received phone calls from people inside the school who hid in closets.
It was not immediately clear how many students are enrolled at the high school, which teaches 9th through 12th grades.
The Taft shooting came less than a month after a gunman massacred 20 children and six women at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., then killed himself.
That shooting prompted President Barack Obama to promise new efforts to curb gun violence. Vice President Joe Biden, who was placed in charge of the initiative, said Tuesday in Washington, D.C., that he would deliver new policy proposals to the president by next week.
Today's Front Page
One student shot at high school in Taft, Calif.
- Today's Front Page
-
-
Beckley Council will take no further action against Pugh
After seeking outside legal guidance to determine whether Beckley Common Council could remove Mayor Emmett Pugh from office, Councilmen-at-Large Tim Berry and Cedric Robertson have recommended that no further action should be taken against the mayor.
Although they have elected not to take action to remove the mayor from office, the two said according to their attorney, they had a right to do so.
-
Miley officially takes gavel as Speaker of the House
Judiciary chairman Tim Miley was elected speaker of the West Virginia House of Delegates Tuesday in a strictly party line vote over Tim Armstead. Miley collected 53 votes and Armstead, D-Kanawha, 44. Three delegates were absent.
-
Heavy rains cause flooding issues around Raleigh County
Every time a heavy rain comes to the area, Jerry Fox and Dollie Stilton’s home on Ewart Avenue floods, the couple said Tuesday.
Heavy rains in the area Monday night and steady showers throughout the region Tuesday morning caused a nearby creek to rise and water from run-off to flow into their backyard. -
First 1.36 miles of New River Parkway completed
U.S. Rep. Nick Joe Rahall, D-W.Va., was in Summers County Monday morning to celebrate the ribbon-cutting of the New River Parkway.
-
Trap Hill teacher fired by BOE for alleged sexual text messages
The Raleigh County Board of Education voted unanimously Monday morning to fire a Trap Hill Middle School teacher accused of sending inappropriate texts to her student.
-
Mingo sheriff murder suspect denied bail
A West Virginia man accused of gunning down Mingo County Sheriff Eugene Crum was denied bail Monday prior to his first-degree murder trial, even as defense lawyers questioned whether evidence showed the killing was planned.
-
Man arrested in alleged sex assault of hospital patient
A Fayette County man was lodged in Southern Regional Jail Monday for the alleged sexual assault of a female patient at Beckley Appalachian Regional Hospital, Beckley Police said.
-
Delegates to pick speaker of the House today at noon
Minority Leader Tim Armstead considers Tim Miley a good friend but is openly skeptical that the incoming Democratic speaker of the House can move legislation needed to reform taxes, the legal climate and education.
-
You can still call us while we’re in temporary offices
As Beckley Newspapers continues its transition into another location during the temporary closure of our plant at 801 North Kanawha Street we are asking that those needing to get in contact with our various departments please call the following numbers and leave a message with a return telephone number. We will return your calls as soon as
-
BOE votes unanimously to fire Trap Hill teacher
The Raleigh County Board of Education voted unanimously Monday morning to fire a Trap Hill Middle School teacher accused of sending inappropriate texts to her student.
Lori Lester, the teacher, did not attend the meeting, which she had requested prior to last Tuesday's regular BOE meeting. - More Today's Front Page Headlines
-
Beckley Council will take no further action against Pugh



