Three people were shot Tuesday afternoon at Lone Star College's North Harris campus in Houston, Texas.
KTRK reports the shooting took place near the campus library after an altercation between two students. Two persons of interest were detained after a brief manhunt for the second suspect. No arrests were made and formal charges were not filed Tuesday.
#Breaking news paramedics on the scene of a shooting at Lone Star College North Harris campus on WW Thorne dr. #hounews twitpic.com/bxen2f
— MyFoxHouston.com (@MyFoxHouston) January 22, 2013
The campus was evacuated and locked down. A Twitter update posted by Lone Star College just before 3:00 p.m. ET said the situation is under control. The campus is closed through the rest of the day and will reopen Wednesday.
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HuffPost's Saki Knafo reports that Steve Sanders, the president of a student gun rights group at Lone Star College in Texas, heard about the shooting from a reporter.
"That's annoying," said Sanders, president of the Second Amendment Academy, a student group that plans shooting events in the area and describes its focus as "educating the general public in regards to the safe and proper use of firearms."
Knafo's article quotes Sanders as saying:
"Most people who go there are just kids. They don’t have a CHL" -- a concealed handgun license."I have a CHL," Sanders added. "But I never carry on campus. I never really thought about it. I guess I will now."
The Harris County Sheriff's office said at press conference Tuesday afternoon the shooting was the result of a dispute between two individuals, at least one being a student, but no charges have been filed yet. The two suspects were injured during their altercation and have been hospitalized, in addition to a maintenance worker who was shot in the crossfire.
Another individual, a woman in her mid-50s, suffered a medical condition and was transported to a hospital.
They have not released any information about the identities of the two suspects.
Richard Carpenter, chancellor of the Lone Star College system, said several emergency alerts were sent to students, but many students told local reporters they did not receive them. Carpenter was not sure why they didn't get the alerts, but the buildings on campus do not have great cell phone reception, a student said.
-- Tyler Kingkade
A maintenance worker was shot in the leg as part of the crossfire in the shooting at Lone Star College in Houston, according to a police spokesman and the college's chancellor.
The worker is in his 50s and is in stable condition at a nearby hospital, said Lone Star College Chancellor Richard Carpenter.
In a press conference Tuesday afternoon, Lone Star College Chancellor Richard Carpenter said he hopes "things could be learned" from the shooting at his campus as the national debate on gun control continues.
| @ BreakingNews : Sheriff's office: Texas college shooting was altercation between 2 individuals, one a student - @AP; live video: http://t.co/27BBvPEs |
A recent HuffPost/YouGov survey showed Americans are split evenly on the question of whether people with proper permits should be allowed to carry concealed guns on college campuses, with 43 percent for and 43 percent against the idea. The other 14 percent said they were unsure.
While Americans are divided on whether people with permits should be allowed to carry firearms at colleges, only a third think more guns on campus would improve safety. Forty-five percent said banning guns was more likely to keep a campus safer, while 33 percent thought they'd be safer if more students and faculty were packing heat.
A handful of states currently allow guns on campus, and many more allow colleges to make their own decisions, which almost always results in a campus gun ban. Since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, many college presidents have spoken out and called for new gun control measures. One open letter, which has more than 300 signatures from public and private college presidents, specifically voices opposition to state laws that allow guns on campus.
Read more on the polling results here.
-- Tyler Kingkade
The Harris County Sheriff's Office will hold a live news conference at 5:00 EST.
Click here to watch live.
Ever since the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007, the National Rifle Association has backed a slew of bills designed to allow concealed handguns on college campuses -– including in Texas, the site of Tuesday's shooting at Lone Star College.
In the past two years, the NRA has supported legislation to allow concealed handguns at public colleges in Texas, Arizona, Idaho, Nevada and Arkansas.
The Texas Senate passed legislation in 2011 that would have allowed licensed carriers of concealed handguns to bring weapons onto public college campuses. But the law was never enacted because the House failed to bring it to a vote.
Republican State Sen. Brian Birdwell revived the debate last week, introducing legislation that would allow concealed carry on public college campuses.
The NRA’s Texas affiliate strongly supports the legislation, according to a press release announcing the bill:The TSRA—the state-affiliate of the NRA—and our 45,000 Texas members strongly support Senator Birdwell and his legislation allowing adult Texas concealed handgun licensees to have this option for personal protection with them in their vehicles, on campus property, and in the classroom. Personal protection is a basic human right.
Arizona lawmakers defeated a similar push for concealed handguns on college campuses last year, after strong opposition from university officials.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 21 states have bans on carrying a concealed weapon on college campuses, while 23 others leave the decision to each individual college or university.
State law allows concealed weapons at public college campuses in five states: Colorado, Mississippi, Oregon, Utah and Wisconsin.
-- Chris Kirkham
Is Lone Star a "gun free zone", as some reports are suggesting?
According to its website, the Lone Star College System prohibits people from "knowingly, intentionally or recklessly" setting foot on school property with a firearm.
However, the school code also suggests that "licensed handgun owners" will not necessarily be punished for carrying a concealed handgun onto campus:
II.F.1.05 Prohibition of Concealed WeaponsUnless otherwise allowed by state law, the System may prohibit persons who are licensed to carry a concealed handgun from carrying a concealed weapon onto its premises.
-- Saki Knafo
KTRK confirmed live on air there are now two suspects in custody. One of the suspects was arrested by SWAT in a wooded area. The names of the suspects have not been released.
KTRK reports parents are trying to pick up their children from a nearby high school and elementary school, which remain on lockdown. A daycare center is also located on the same street. All students are safe and accounted for, and around 60 parents are gathering down the street hoping to pick up their children.
One out of four campus police departments are currently not prepared to handle an active shooter, according to a recent survey by Campus Safety Magazine of campus protection stakeholders. And 46 percent say they are understaffed.
Almost half report they do not have enough lethal and nonlethal weapons to face a threat, or enough training to handle the weapons they do have.
-- Tyler Kingkade
CNN reported that Texas Gov. Rick Perry's office released a statement about the Lone Star shooting.
"Our office is in contact with state law enforcement and Gov. Perry has been briefed on what is known so far about the situation. His thoughts and prayers are with those that have been impacted."
Tuesday's shooting at Lone Star College will undoubtedly be examined through a political lens as Congress gets set to debate sweeping gun policy reforms introduced by the Obama administration last week.
But it's worth noting the role that state laws play in instances like this. In particular, the movement to expand concealed-carry laws seems likely to be the subject of some scrutiny, especially if the initial reports turn out to be true, and the Lone Star College shooting was the result of an argument that got too heated.
Texas already has lax gun laws. But there are lawmakers in the state who have tried to loosen them even further. As a reader pointed out, just last week, a state senator introduced a bill that would let public college students, faculty and staff carry concealed firearms on campus for protective purposes provided that they had a proper license.
The bill, according to its author, Sen. Brian Birdwell (R-Granbury), was “about trusting citizens with their God-given, constitutional rights.”
-- Sam Stein
A Twitter update from Lone Star College says the situation is now under control, and confirms the shooting happened during an altercation between two students. Three were shot.
| @ lonestarcollege : Shooting around 12:31 today at LSC-North Harris between two individuals,three shot.Danger has been mitigated. Situation under control. |
Reports from KPRC Local 2 say all victims have arrived at local hospitals. Memorial Hermann hospital said no more are expected. Local emergency response crews are standing by.
A school shooting at the North Harris campus of Lone Star College near Houston, Texas was reported Tuesday afternoon. One student, currently identified only as "Amanda," was stuck inside the building — but she managed to send messages to friends, family and reporters via Twitter during the ordeal.
Click here to read Amanda's tweets.
One of the school's earlier messages said it was activating its "shelter in place" emergency plan. But what does that mean?
From the LSCS office of emergency management:
Were a chemical agent attack or possible active shooter to occur, authorities may instruct people to either seek shelter where they are and seal the premises (shelter-in-place), or evacuate immediately. If the order is to remain on campus or in your building, you will need to follow these directions: Go inside and stay calm. Close all doors, windows, and other sources of outside air. Go into a room with the fewest doors and windows and seal the room. Turn off air conditioning or heating systems to keep chemical vapors from entering. Ceiling or rotary fans inside the building may be used safely to keep cool. Limit telephone use for emergency calls only. Overloaded telephone circuits may keep actual emergency calls from getting through.Listen for authorities to tell you when it is safe to come out. Tune in to your local emergency radio or television station. For LSCS information listen for an announcement over the public address system, monitor computer and visual displays, or await word from local officials.
Like many educational institutions, the Lone Star College System has guidelines to prepare students and staff for "active shooter" situations on campus, like the one at Columbine High School in 1999. However, early reports suggest Tuesday's incident is apparently not the kind of random or systematic shooting spree described in the "active shooter" preparedness guidelines.
-- Arthur Delaney
Nearby public schools also went into lockdown mode, according to WCTV:
Several Aldine ISD schools are also on lockdown while the search for the suspect continues. They are Nimitz High School, Nimitz 9th Grade Campus, Parker Intermediate and Dunn Clifford Elementary.
Jody Neal, 24, an art student at Lone Star, was identified on KPRC Local 2 by family members, who say he was shot three times.
The Lone Star College System has a Second Amendment Academy devoted to promoting the safe use of firearms.
The academy, which features advisers from the Nationally Certified Range Safety Offices, is featured on the school system's website. The page was pointed out to The Huffington Post by a reader.
Second Amendment Academy is an educational student organization whose focus is toward educating the general public in regards to the safe and proper use of firearms.We also look at current legislative action with respect to gun owner's rights and the Constitution. The Academy has had prominent attorneys from the Houston area and the National Rifle Association come in and speak regarding these fundamental rights.
-- Sam Stein
Tuesday's shooting at Lone Star College is the sixth to take place on or near a college campus this month. The most recent was at Chicago State University on Jan. 16 after a high school basketball game, while there were also shootings at Hazard Community College in Kentucky and Stevens Institute of Business and Arts in St. Louis. Two shootings occurred close to campuses, one at Pennsylvania College of Technology and one at the University of Central Florida.
In 2012, there were at least five shootings on or steps away from a college campus.
-- Tyler Kingkade
Eyewitnesses talking to Click2houston.com say the shooting occurred during an altercation between two students. No reports so far suggest a gunman planned a mass killing.
| @ jtes : Photo: Lockdown in a Lone Star College classroom. http://t.co/I2oRAgbx http://t.co/zZFsJDkO |
| @ KarenCNN : RT @cnnjustin: FBI and ATF have sent agents to assist local authorities at the Lone Star college campus shooting. #CNN #LoneStar |
From the Harris County Sheriff's Facebook account:
Our deputies are responding to a report of a shooting at the North Harris campus of Lone Star College. So law enforcement and other emergecny respondders are on the scene dealing with the reported situation. We will post more info once it becomes available. The site below has posted an emergency alert. We urge students, faculty and their friends and loved ones to be calm and monitor news media reports.
Clicktohouston.com reports that the second suspected shooter, who is still at large, is wearing a red shirt and an Atlanta Falcons baseball cap.
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Posted: 01/22/2013 1:50 pm EST | Updated: 01/23/2013 8:50 am EST