Gun battle ends school shooting

Accused gunman Jason Hoffman is carried into a San Diego hospital on Thursday

In this story: Victims and injuries Eyewitness accounts Security raised earlier this month RELATED STORIES, SITES

EL CAJON, California -- A student gunman wounded five people at a suburban San Diego high school on Thursday before the school's security officer brought him down in a gun battle, police say.

Besides the alleged shooter, who authorities identified as 18-year-old Jason Hoffman, two teachers and three other teen-agers were wounded in the shooting, which happened just six miles from a fatal school shooting earlier this month.

VIDEO CNN's Frank Buckley reports on the second shooting to occur in one California school district this month Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) A school in Ohio uses respect to help stop violence. CNN's Jason Bellini pays a visit Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) Police hold a news conference about the shooting (Courtesy KGTV and XETV) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) An eyewitness describes the scene as the shooting took place Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)   AUDIO A student recounts what he heard when the shooting occurred 705K/30 sec. AIFF or WAV sound     MESSAGE BOARD Discuss school safety     RESOURCES Granite Hills High School map Timeline of recent school shootings Risk factors for school violence Talking about school violence Gallup Poll: Parents on school shootings

Authorities said none of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening.

"He just got out of the car, he got down like in a sniper position and just started opening fire," said Chris Weston, a junior at Granite Hills High School. "It seemed to be a shotgun."

At least eight shots were fired, he said. "One of them came at least two inches away from my head. If I wouldn't have ducked down, I would have been shot. It's just kind of a blur from there."

Another student said the gunman seemed to be aiming at a school administrator. The boy said he watched as the suspect reloaded his gun and shot randomly.

The school resource officer, El Cajon Police Agent Richard Agundez, responded.

"He engaged the suspect in this case ... they had a slight running gun battle at the school," said Capt. Bill McClurg of the El Cajon Police Department.

"Our school resource officer, Rich Agundez, is my personal hero because he acted immediately," said school principal Georgette Torres.

The gun battle occurred near the administration building on the north side of the school.

San Diego County sheriff's deputy Angela Pearl arrived within minutes to assist the officer in apprehending the suspect, authorities said.

Two weapons were recovered, McClurg said. Witnesses said one was a pump-action shotgun and the other was a handgun.

Authorities said they do not know Hoffman's motive.

Victims and injuries

A spokeswoman at Sharp Memorial Hospital said the suspect is in serious condition and was taken into surgery with gunshot wounds in the mouth and buttocks. He was to be taken from surgery to the intensive care unit.

Spokeswoman Lisa Campbell also said a 15-year-old male victim was in serious condition with buckshot pellets in the face, arms and upper body. He was taken to the intensive care unit.

Three people were taken to Scripps Mercy Hospital, a 17-year-old female student, a 15-year-old male student and a woman teacher -- all of them suffering from minor buckshot wounds.

Another teacher, a 53-year-old woman struck in the arm and leg, was treated and released from University of California of San Diego Medical Center.

Four people suffered other injuries related to the shooting: a 17-year-old girl was treated for hyperventilation; a 51-year-old man suffered chest pains while running to the scene to see if his child was safe; and a 15-year-old girl was admitted with shortness of breath and a history of heart problems; and another student was injured in a fall while running across the street from the school.

Authorities said one pregnant woman went into labor as she rushed to the school to check on her child.

Eyewitness accounts

Torres said that when she heard a second series of gunfire pops she got on the intercom and issued an order for a lockdown and students were told to get on the ground.

But one student said he heard the gunfire and took off running.

"It sounded like an explosion, like in a chemistry class or something," student Ryan Carrillo told KGTV of San Diego.

Carrillo, a sophomore, heard the gunshots as he walked to a bathroom near the office of the school, which has 2,900 students.

Click through images of the Granite Hills High School shooting

"This is a high price to pay for education," said one woman, whose daughter said she was in her fifth period when she heard three or four shots outside her classroom.

"It seemed like it was really close to us," the daughter told a reporter. "People were running out of the classrooms. ... People were crying and we immediately dropped down and shut the door and locked it."

Soon after, police entered, told them everything was OK, and asked them to file out of the school, she said.

The girl said she then saw the gunman on the ground. "He was not moving. ... I saw a shotgun next to him, it looked like a pump-action shotgun."

Another boy said he heard six shots and then saw "some guy had blood all over his face, he looked like he was dazed or passed out. ... I just ducked and I just prayed and hoped everybody was all right."

Security raised earlier this month

A short time later students were allowed to stream from the school, keeping their hands up. They walked to a nearby grade school, where they were to be picked up by their parents.

School officials said counseling would be available to students and parents and local residents at an area Boys and Girls Club beginning Thursday evening and would resume Friday morning.

larger   A police officer stands by the suspect's shotgun outside the school

Friday classes for the high school's 2,800 students were canceled, but the principal said they will resume Monday.

The shootings occurred just over a week after a forum on school safety was held, inspired by the March 5 shootings at Santana High School in nearby Santee.

"We have had a heightened law enforcement presence on all of our campuses" after that shooting, said Grossmont Union School District Superintendent Granger Ward.

He said that security would be further increased at least through next week.

Granite Hills High School is a few miles south of Santee, where two people died and 13 were wounded.

In the Santee shooting, Charles Andrew "Andy" Williams is charged with 28 felonies, including two counts of murder. Investigators say in court documents that Williams carefully planned the March 5 shooting but had no specific target.

Santana High School was scheduled to play a baseball game at Granite Hills Thursday after school. The game was canceled.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Funeral held for California school shooting victim
March 10, 2001
Brian Palmer: Issues old and new confronting teens
March 9, 2001
Security tight after school shooting threat
March 9, 2001
An epidemic of violence
March 8, 2001
Terror, heroism fill high school hallways
March 8, 2001
School shooting arraignment postponed
March 7, 2001
The Secret Service's findings on school shootings
March 6, 2001

Granite Hills High School
San Diego County Sheriff

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.