Ohio High School Gunman Identified
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David Dermer/Getty ImagesUPDATE: The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed early Tuesday morning that a second student has died from the shooting.
(CHARDON, Ohio) — The teenage gunman who opened fire at Chardon High School in Ohio, killing two and wounding three on Monday, has been identified as T.J. Lane, according to a fellow student and witness, and ABC News’ Cleveland affiliate WEWS.
Lane’s alleged fusillade of bullets left “friends laying all over the place” in puddles of blood, one student told ABC News.
Nate Mueller, a junior at the school, was having breakfast with three friends at the cafeteria when he heard a loud pop like a firecracker about 7:45 a.m., he told ABC News.
A friend yelled, “Duck!” and Mueller said he turned to see fellow student Lane standing by his table. Mueller said Lane took a second shot, at which time Mueller saw a friend get hit.
“He was over the table in a pool of blood,” he said, adding that another pal “was on the floor in a puddle of blood next to him.”
A third friend “had not been hit yet as I jumped over him,” Mueller said.
Mueller got on the floor and was trying to crawl away when a shot rang out and he felt a bullet graze his ear. He was not badly injured, he said, with just a small red mark left on his ear.
“It was terror. Everything had just gone tunnel vision, like, I need to get out of here,” Mueller said. “You see glances of your friends laying all over the place. There’s blood, there’s people screaming, everybody’s just running in different directions and you’re just trying to get out. That’s all you can do, get out of the school and not look back even though your friends are back there.”
Two students were taken by ambulance to Hillcrest Hospital and three were taken by helicopter to MetroHealth Hospital, according to WEWS.
A student identified by MetroHealth Hospital as Daniel Parmertor died from his wounds. His family released the following statement through the hospital:
“We are shocked by this senseless tragedy. Danny was a bright young boy who had a bright future ahead of him. The family is torn by this loss. We ask that you respect our privacy during this difficult time.”
On Tuesday, the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office announced that another student at MetroHealth had died. He has been identified as Russell King Jr.
The remaining student at MetroHealth Hospital is in critical condition, according to police. Of the two students at Hillcrest Hospital, one is in stable condition and one is in serious condition.
Police have not officially identified Lane as the gunman, saying only that the shooter has not yet been charged and that he is a juvenile.
He is being held at Geauga County Safety Center, according to WEWS.
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