5 injured in US school shooting

Five persons were injured in a classroom shooting at Salvador Castro Middle School in the US city of Los Angeles, officials said.

A 15-year-old boy who was shot in the head was in critical condition and a 15-year-old girl who was shot in the wrist was in stable condition, Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said on Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We had some type of a shooting occurrence inside a classroom," said L.A. School Police Chief Steve Zipperman during a press briefing at the scene.

The shooting was reported to police around 9 a.m. on Thursday morning. Police rushed to the scene and conducted room searches at the campus.

Three others, including two children and 30-year-old woman suffered minor injuries which were not caused by the shooting.

A handcuffed girl was seen being taken into custody by police and referred as a "person of interest" by Zepperman.

Police officials said the shooting suspect is about 12-year-old and the weapon of the shooter has been recovered by police.

Police officials told reporters that they don't know the exact number of students on the scene when the shooting happened and it is still too early in the investigation to determine the motive of the suspect.

There was a heavy police presence at the location and the campus was on lockdown. A lot of anxious parents and relatives were waiting outside the campus.

All of the parents of the victims have been notified, said authorities.

Salvador Castro Middle School has a total enrollment of 428 students and 22 full-time teachers.

--IANS

pgh/