4 injured in Ohio school shooting

Associated Press

HAMILTON, Ohio

A 14-year-old boy pulled out a gun in a school cafeteria Monday and opened fire, hitting two students, and then ran from the school, threw the weapon down and was apprehended nearby with the help of a police dog, authorities said.

Two other Madison Local Schools students also were injured, possibly from shrapnel or while running away. None of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening, said Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones.

Jones said the 14-year-old was a student, and there was a motive to the shooting, which he did not identify. The boy was charged preliminarily with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of felonious assault, inducing panic and making terrorist threats, Jones said.

Students were eating in the cafeteria when the shooting happened about 11:30 a.m., Jones said. Afterward, classmates described a chaotic scene where they weren’t sure what was happening at first. Some students fled outside.

One student mistook the first shot for a potato chip bag being popped.

Thirteen-year-old Shelby Kinnin said she heard “a couple of bangs” and realized she was near the shooter.

“I didn’t really know it was gunshots until I looked over and a kid was grabbing his leg and falling over,” she said.

The students who were shot – age 14 and 15 – were taken to a hospital where they were in stable condition, investigators said. A 14-year-old boy and 14-year-old girl also were injured, though it was unclear how, Jones said.