6 Shot After Exiting Vegas School Bus
Associated Press | Dec 12, 07 12:00 AM CST
Six young people were shot Tuesday after they got off a school bus that left a high school, and one suffered critical injuries, authorities said. At least two individuals are suspected in the shooting in northeast Las Vegas, which occurred just before 2 p.m., said Officer Bill Cassell.
Gunshots rang out after the school bus left the area around North Walnut Road and East Alexander Road, Cassell said.
Six people were transported to University Medical Center.
An adult male was in critical condition and a teen male was in serious condition, both with gunshots to the torso, said UMC spokeswoman Cheryl Persinger.
Four had minor gunshot injuries to their arms and legs, including an adult male who was treated and released. Two teen males and a teen female were in good condition, she said.
Archie Gorai, 22, who lives about a block from the site of the shooting, said he heard about eight gunshots while he was wrapping Christmas presents at his home.
"I told my wife it was gunshots. She thought it was firecrackers," Gorai said. "We went outside, looked over the wall and the police said somebody got shot."
He said he had always considered the neighborhood to be safe.
Police blocked off traffic surrounding the shooting in a working class residential neighborhood with homes decorated for Christmas.
Cassell said the police gang unit is investigating to determine if gangs were involved.
Police were not saying whether the shooting suspects were on foot or in a vehicle.
The school bus had left from Mojave High School earlier, said Clark County School District spokesman Michael Rodriguez.
The school, with some 2,300 students last year, is one of the larger high schools in the northeast region. About a third of the students are Hispanic, about a third are black and about a quarter are white, according to district materials.
The shooting occurred a couple of blocks from two elementary schools, Woolley and Clyde Cox Elementary Schools. Both were locked down temporarily but were reopened before 3 p.m., Rodriguez said.
A basketball game at Mojave scheduled for Tuesday evening would continue with an increased security presence, Rodriguez said. The school was expected to open as normal Wednesday, but with extra security measures and support service available, he said.
Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillespie and district superintendent Walt Rulffes were to address the media at 6:30 p.m. PST.
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Associated Press writer Ryan Nakashima in Las Vegas contributed to this report.
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