Students hid in their classrooms, some behind locked doors or in closets, as a gunman opened fire (Thursday) inside a New Mexico high school, killing two classmates before he died.
Authorities in the small town of Aztec near the Colorado border have released few details other than to say the two victims — Casey J. Marquez and Francisco I. Fernandez — attended Aztec High School. The identity of the shooter has yet to be released.
No other injuries were reported, and it was not clear if the died by suicide or was killed by police.
The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office in a post on social media asked for the community to pray for the families of Marquez and Fernandez.
Friends were sharing their condolences on Marquez’s Facebook page, which displayed photos of the teen in her cheerleading outfit. Fernandez’s friends posted on his page and wore T-shirts that memorialized him during a candlelight vigil that brought together hundreds of mourners late Thursday.
Gov. Susana Martinez called the shooting a heinous and horrific act and told reporters that teachers, school staff and law enforcement jumped in quickly to prevent more deaths. She didn’t provide more details.
Police responded to the school less than a minute after getting the initial calls, which came shortly after the start of the first period. With the school in lockdown, they got inside through a window and a door.
Authorities checked each room and building at the school before the students were bused to another location where they were reunited with their parents.
The school remained cordoned off as people braved frigid temperatures for the vigil at a nearby park.
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