U.S.

On Thursday morning Saugus High suffered a great loss when a school shooter opened fire with a .45-caliber handgun on the quad, killing two students and wounding three.

The shooting began at about 7:30 a.m. during first period classes, and lasted all of 16-seconds. The shooter, Nathaniel Berhow, was found on campus after having shot himself in the head. He was rushed to the hospital and is now in grave condition.

The victims were a 16 year old girl and a 14 year old boy, who were rushed to the hospital but tragically passed away from their injuries. Three other students are being treated for their injuries. One of the teens, who was originally listed in good condition, was released from the hospital in the afternoon.

Seventeen year old Andrei Mojica was in his AP government class when his teacher noticed people running outside and someone opened the door, alerting that there was an active shooter. Just like in the drills, the class barricaded the door with desks and tables, armed with a fire extinguisher in case the shooter broke in.

“We had no clue whether the shooter was on the opposite side of campus or right outside our door,” Mojica told the Los Angeles Times. “That fear made it feel like we were waiting in silence forever.”

People who knew the shooter described him as a quiet, smart kid who they would never have expected to turn violent. Police have yet to determine a motive.

The students of the school stayed locked in classrooms for over an hour after the shooting. Eventually, they were led off the school grounds by deputies. Many were in tears. One student voiced a question on the minds of many others: “What kind of a world is this?”