Oregon School Shooting News Update: Injured Teacher Survives Attack; Students React on Social Media
Details have been released about the teenager who was shot and killed when a gunman opened fire at an Oregon high school Tuesday morning.
Officials say that a gunman used an assault rifle to fatally shoot 14-year-old Emilio Hoffman, a beloved freshman at the Reynolds High School in Troutdale, near Portland.
According to witness accounts, the shooter initially took aim at physical education teacher Todd Rispler, whom he chased down and shot around 8:00 a.m. Fortunately, Rispler survived the attack with minor, non-life threatening injuries.
During the commotion, Hoffman was also shot when the gunman opened fire in the boys' locker room. He then turned the gun on himself.
The gunman, whom police have not publicly identified, was found dead in a bathroom at the school. It is believed that the suspect had likely killed himself, Troutdale police spokesman Sgt. Carey Kaer said, according to Fox News.
A number of Hoffman's peers expressed sorrow and remorse on social media using the hashtag #RIPEmilioHoffman.
"#RIPEmilioHoffman you were such a fun friend in Spanish. I can't believe you had to leave us this way. Life in unfair. I am heartbroken," wrote MaggieLee98.
"I love you so much and I always will. You were my first kiss and the first guy I truly loved," @LyssaKarm wrote on Twitter.
A girl who used to be Hoffman's girlfriend described him as "a good kid" and a "down-to-earth guy."
"He was very caring, he loved to joke around," Savannah Venegas, 16, told the Associated Press.
She added that Hoffman didn't have enemies and "didn't stir up trouble."
Authorities have tentatively identified the suspect, but have not released their name.
Morgan Rose, a 15-year-old freshman at the school, said she hunkered down in a locker room with another student and two teachers after the shots broke out.
"It was scary in the moment. Now knowing everything's OK, I'm better," she said, reports the Associated Press.
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