Full Notification

Sheriff’s Department personnel secured several Palmdale schools, and detained one shooter after numerous 911 calls of shots fired on campus at a local high school.

The incident began At 7:03 am when Palmdale Sheriff’s Station received nearly 100 calls regarding related to the incident. Deputies were dispatched to a call for service of a person with a gun at Highland High School located at 39055 25th Street West in the city of Palmdale.

The campus was put on immediate lock down and the students were told to shelter in place.

When Deputies arrived at the location, they received reports there were possible hostages in the school library. Deputies made entry into the library. Fortunately, that was a false report. No hostages, or shooter were located in the library.  As Deputies continued their active search for the person with a gun, several 911 calls were received indicating multiple guns shots were heard at Manzanita Elementary School, which is about seven miles away from Highland High School. 

Deputies quickly responded to Manzanita Elementary School and searched that school for any threats.  Palmdale deputies, Special Enforcement Bureau SWAT deputies, California Highway Patrol Officers and other stations quickly responded to the schools and began methodically clearing both campuses for any threats.  Fortunately, no evidence of any crime was located or identified at Manzanita Elementary School.

As the incident unfolded at Highland High School, deputies learned that one 15 year-old male juvenile student was struck in the arm/shoulder by gunfire and transported to a local hospital by an unknown individual. The juvenile is currently in stable condition.

Deputies also identified there was only one person with a gun, a 14 year-old male, there are no other subjects.

During the course of the investigation, Deputies learned that the father of the shooting subject called a family friend, which was an off-duty LAPD Officer.  The Father stated he received a call from the subjects’ mother in the morning.  She told him they were having trouble with the subject who had run away from the house. 

The LAPD Officer then got a call from the subjects’ father, who said the subject had just called him.  The subject told the dad, he shot his gun in the air and was headed towards a local shopping center. The LAPD Officer headed towards the market and found the subject and called Palmdale Station and had units respond to his location.  Deputies arrived at the shopping center and detained the subject for one count of Attempted Murder. 

The Subject’s weapon was also recovered from an open field west of the school. It was an SKS Rifle.

The Highland High School campus was cleared and the incident concluded at 10:00 a.m.  

At 11:00 a.m. a search warrant was served by the Special Enforcement Bureau at the subject’s residence. 

There is no further information at this time and the investigation is on-going. 

“We look at this incident and the way that it rolled out, we were very fortunate that the incident wasn’t much worse than it was. It really is due to the way everybody came together and worked together, from our deputies, to our fire partners, FBI, ATF and all of the players who came together very quickly right after this occurred to put together what occurred today.” Said Sheriff Jim McDonnell. “When you hear the accounts, the idea we all come together, we all work together when something happens, we make it work”.

To watch the Press Conference pertaining to the incident, please click the link below and watch the video

https://www.facebook.com/LosAngelesCountySheriffsDepartment/videos/2195309277162640/

Written by:

________________________________________________________
THE ORIGINAL PRESS RELEASE IS AS FOLLOWS

Who:  Sheriff Jim McDonnell, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department; Supervisor Kathryn Barger, Los Angeles County's 5th Supervisorial District; Mayor James C. Ledford, City of Palmdale; Brett Neal, Assistant Superintendent, Antelope Valley Union High School District 

What:  Sheriff Jim McDonnell will talk about the circumstances pertaining to the Shooting that occurred at Highland High School in the City of Palmdale.  A brief synopsis of the incident is below:

When:  Friday, May 11, 2018 at 3:00 p.m.
 
Where: Hilton Garden Inn Palmdale
              1309 W Rancho Vista Blvd, Palmdale, CA 93551
              Palmdale, California


Synopsis: At 7:05 AM on Friday, May 11, 2018, deputies from the Palmdale station were dispatched to Highland High School, located at 39055 25^th Street West in the city of Palmdale for multiple reports of a person with a gun on the school campus. 

At approximately 7:30 AM, several 911 calls were received indicating multiple gun shots were heard at Manzanita Elementary School.  Manzanita Elementary School is located across town at 38620 33^rd Street East. 

Deputies from multiple Sheriff’s stations, Officers from the California Highway Patrol, and Special Enforcement Bureau simultaneously searched both locations for a possible gunman, to locate possible victims, and any evidence of these shootings. 

At approximately 8 AM, the subject, a 14 year-old male juvenile and former student of Highland High school, was detained.  He is believed to be related to the incident at Highland High School.

A short time later, deputies concluded their search of the Manzanita Elementary School campus and found no evidence of a shooting.  The school campus was cleared, but remained on lockdown.

Around 9:00 AM deputies cleared the Highland High School campus.  The high school campus remained on lockdown.  Individuals at the campus were instructed to remain sheltered in place until a coordinated and controlled movement could be carried out.

At this time, it is confirmed that one male juvenile received at least one gunshot to his arm, and was transported by a person to a local hospital at the onset of this incident.  The 15 year-old juvenile victim is in stable condition, and the injury is not life threatening. He is a student at Highland High School.

Although the investigation is in its infancy, we believe the incident to be isolated, and there is no continued threat to the students, staff, or community.  Additionally, a rifle believed to be the weapon used during the commission of this crime has been recovered. 

Nearly three hours after the incident began, the lockdown at the school campuses has been lifted.

Written by:
Charles Moore, Deputy
Sheriff’s Information Bureau – Newsroom
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
Hall of Justice - First floor 
211 W. Temple St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-229-1700 
@LASDmoore

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Jim McDonnell, Sheriff
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department