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Law enforcement officials locked down the campus of Hill Country College Preparatory High School in\u00a0Bulverde on Monday. Officials say a 15-year-old student shot and injured a teacher, then killed himself.<\/p>\n
Ricardo Delgado\/San Antonio Express News staff<\/p>\n
BULVERDE \u2014 A 15-year-old student shot a teacher and then killed himself at a Hill Country school on Monday, Comal County officials say.<\/p>\n
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The student, identified only as a 15-year-old boy, shot a teacher at Hill Country College Preparatory High School in Bulverde, the Comal County Sheriff\u2019s Office said. The teacher, whose name was not released, was taken to a San Antonio hospital. Her condition was not known as of Monday afternoon, Comal County Sheriff Mark Reynolds said.<\/p>\n
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The student died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Reynolds and\u00a0Comal County spokesperson Cary Zayas.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Speaking during an afternoon news conference, Reynolds said the situation \u201cwas contained very, very quickly,\u201d and said he wanted to reassure parents and the community that \u201cyour kids were protected.\u201d About 250 students were transported to\u00a0Bulverde Middle School, a campus a few miles away, to be reunited with their parents, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hill Country College Preparatory High School is part of the Comal Independent School District. Its campus is at 3615 Mustang Vista in Bulverde, which is a city of about 7,000 people 25 miles north of central San Antonio.<\/p>\n
Investigators are working \u201cto understand all the circumstances surrounding what happened,\u201d including a potential motive for the shooting, Reynolds said. He said investigators\u00a0have spoken to the parents of the student who\u00a0was involved in the shooting.<\/p>\n
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Reynolds said he couldn’t speak to\u00a0whether there might have been\u00a0“warning signs” exhibited by the student before the shooting.<\/p>\n
He said he didn’t “want to get into the full details” of exactly where the shooting happened on campus, but he said he believes other students did witness the incident.<\/p>\n
Reynolds did not comment on how the 15-year-old obtained the gun used in the shooting or how the teenager brought the gun onto school property.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Reynolds said the Texas Rangers division of the Texas Department of Public Safety is assisting in the investigation. Comal County deputies, the Bulverde Police Department and the Comal County Constable Precinct 2 responded to the scene, he said.<\/p>\n
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The Comal sheriff’s office will have a continued presence at the school \u201cas needed,\u201d Reynolds said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was a frightening morning,” he\u00a0said.\u00a0\u201cOur focus now is on supporting those affected.”<\/p>\n
Investigators were still at the campus as of Monday afternoon, Reynolds said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Focus on ‘healing, supporting’<\/p>\n
The county\u2019s \u201cfocus must now be on healing, supporting those affected and caring for the people who call this community home,\u201d Comal County Judge Kristen Hoyt said in a written statement.<\/p>\n
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\u201cAs a community, we will have the tough but necessary conversations about what more can be done to help ensure something like this never happens again in\u00a0Comal County,\u201d said Hoyt, who was appointed county judge this month.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bulverde Mayor Helen Hays\u00a0said she was in Denver when she got news about the shooting. She flew home and was at the Monday afternoon news conference.<\/p>\n
“We’re just going to try and get around everybody who needs support there, make sure everybody has support that they’re going to need,” Hays said. “Prayers with the teacher’s family and hopefully that she recovers. Prayers with the family of the shooter also.”<\/p>\n
Salwa Lanford, a spokesperson for the Comal Independent School District, shared a statement the district sent to parents of Hill Country College Preparatory High School students. The statement included a list of resources for helping students in the aftermath of the incident.<\/p>\n
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“In light of today\u2019s incident at Hill Country College Preparatory High School, we recognize that even when situations are resolved they can be emotionally unsettling for students and families,” the district’s statement said. “It is normal for children to experience a range of emotions after a lockdown, including confusion, fear, or lingering worry. Your support at home plays an important role in helping them process these feelings.”<\/p>\n
Hill Country College Preparatory High School Principal Julie Wiley said the school wouldn\u2019t hold any classes on Tuesday \u201cto allow time for our families and staff to process and begin healing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur hearts are with everyone impacted, especially that teacher, their family and our school community. We know this has been a difficult day. I want to personally thank our local law enforcement officers, amazing staff, and district administrators for their swift response, professionalism and care of our students,\u201d\u00a0Wiley said in a social media post Monday afternoon.<\/p>\n
Kay Overstreet, vice president of membership for Hill Country College Preparatory High School’s parent-teacher-student organization, said Monday that the organization’s members “aren’t prepared to make any comments at this time.”<\/p>\n
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