Wednesday January 23, 2013, 7:50 am
( Photo Credit: picture of gun from alternet)


Lone Star’s campus is now cleared and deemed safe. Classes will resume tomorrow. An investigation is still underway, with the FBI joining in the search.

Earlier reports that the second shooter was on the loose were false. Both shooters were injured at the time of the shooting, though their injuries have not been released. An innocent bystander, a maintenance man in his 50s, was also injured.

According to the Houston Chronicle, officials identified one of the suspected shooters as 22-year-old Carlton Berry, who has been charged with aggravated assault.

College Chancellor Richard Carpenter told the Chronicle that the college has been safe since its founding 40 years ago, and he still considers it safe.

"Within the last seven days on this campus, we have had three training exercises for faculty and staff as to what to do in an incident like this," he said. "We know that there is significant national dialogue regarding the frequency, unfortunately, of incidents like this. … Though we didn't expect to be part of this discussion, we hope things can be learned from it."

Carpenter also said the college is “gun free,” and students are not searched.

Also on Tuesday, Texas state Senators Tommy Williams (R) and John Whitmore (D), along with Rep. Dan Huberty (R) unveiled a proposal called the Texas School District Security Act, which would allow school boards to hold elections to let voters decide “whether sales or property taxes should be raised to fund more security at public schools.” The Chronicle reported that Williams said, "I believe this proposal is a Texas solution that will save lives without sacrificing our freedoms."

Update 2:00 P.M. PST:

Investigagtors now have two suspects in custody. The second suspect was recently arrested after a brief manhunt. According to reports, the shootings started after an altercation between the two suspects, and two people got caught in the crossfire.

Lone Star College tweeted this afternoon:

Click to enlarge.

12:30 P.M. PST

Another shooting has taken place, this time on the Houston-area college campus. At least two people were shot at Lone Star College this afternoon around 12:30 P.M. The victims were taken to Ben Taub hospital having multiple gun shot wounds. Doctors say they are in serious condition and will need surgery.

ABC 13 reported that witnesses near the college’s library heard multiple gunshots, and those in the library were instructed to get down. Witnesses also reported seeing a wounded man in handcuffs when exiting the library.

CNN reported that a federal law enforcement official said a fourth person suffered a heart attack on the campus.

The campus is currently on lockdown, with some portion of the campus being evacuated, while others are being told to enter the shelter they have on campus.

Vicki Cassidy, manager of media relations for the college told the Houston Chronicle: "We know that shots have been fired and we are in a shelter-in-place situation on the campus … It's a pretty chaotic scene at this point in time."

ABC 13 reports that there is one person in a control car being labeled a suspect, while a SWAT team is currently searching for other suspects. They reported that there have been 49 college shootings since the Columbine tragedy.
*****

By: Alyssa Figueroa | alternet |


Alyssa Figueroa is an editorial fellow at AlterNet.
She is a recent Ithaca College graduate who double-majored in journalism and politics.

Wednesday January 23, 2013, 7:54 am
So sad, and too many shootings now. Thanks, Kit for this.

Wednesday January 23, 2013, 2:12 pm
Makes me so SAD TY KIT

Wednesday January 23, 2013, 4:21 pm
when the news broke yesterday I was thinking of you Kit, wondering what you would feel like now.. too sad.
And that one was likely not the last either..
Thanks.

Thursday January 24, 2013, 6:34 am
It would appear that this was between two men who had a beef and the other innocents were at the wrong place at the wrong time. No disrespect to the victims or their families. This happens in Toronto but it is usually gang related. More so now it is knives since the availability of guns has been decreased. It still happens though.

Thursday January 24, 2013, 7:07 am
noted thanks

Thursday January 24, 2013, 8:51 am

I think Angelika that Texas needs real leadership for a change. Those currently in office have a "knee jerk" response to any issue. Go far right to make some bizarre statement. Perry said that guns on campus would prevent all campus shootings, a fool would know that is not true.

Thursday January 24, 2013, 9:27 am
You definitely DO, Kit-get rid of that jerk Perry and his bizarre spoutings. And most certainly next times any shooting happens there will ALWAYS be innocents at the wrong place at the wrong time!

Thursday January 24, 2013, 9:35 am

I'm hoping he will nurture his aspirations for the presidency and not do another "end round" on the Texas constitution to run again. Though nothing scurrilous or deceitful done by that man is a surprise. He has about the same chance of becoming president as an ice cube in hell.

There are always innocents and the reality is in a panic situation we have about one tenth of a second to respond. How many of us are really that well trained? Most police can not respond that quickly to immediate life danger.

Thursday January 24, 2013, 5:47 pm
So sorry that this happened in your state, Kit, but, obviously,it can happen anywhere.
So much for the crap called "An armed public is a polite public," another mindless sound bite!

Thursday January 24, 2013, 8:15 pm
It is sad that it happens anywhere and that money has prevented CDC from doing the research to identify what are the most effective and the most cost-effective methods to minimize the risks and save students and staff from harm.