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2019-11-14 17:05:30

By Chanel Adams,  Image: Wikimedia Commons

Santa Clarita, California first reported an active shooting at Saugus High School around 7:00 a.m. PST on Thursday, Nov. 14. The shooting has left one dead. In addition, multiple students have been injured and were sent to the hospital. Police are expected to hold a press conference shortly. According to the Los Angeles County sheriff’s department, the suspect is said to be an Asian male who’s wearing black clothing and was last seen on campus. As of the time of this report, the shooter is still at large.

According to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital’s official Twitter account, they have taken in four female patients. One female patient was pronounced dead at the scene, while two other male patients are in critical condition. Another male is reported to be in good condition, according to the tweet.

“This is an active shooter situation,” according to a separate tweet from the Santa Clarita Valley sheriff’s office. “If you live in neighborhoods anywhere near Saugus High, PLEASE LOCK DOORS and stay inside. If you see suspect, male dark clothing, in backyards, etc. CALL 911.”

“Parents, deputies are on scene everywhere protecting your children,” the remainder of the tweet revealed.

The tweet was posted before 8 a.m. local time. The tweet warned residents to avoid the area of Saugus High School, which is located in the county of Los Angeles, 40 miles outside of the city. Several minutes later, multiple people reported that shots have been fired at the school. Saugus High School was placed on lockdown as were nearby schools in the William S. Hart Union High School District.

Aerial video surfaced on social media showing students being escorted out of the school with their hands raised. Nearby, there were deputies within range of the 2,300 students, according to NBC Los Angeles. The students were transferred from the campus onto school buses with armed deputies onboard. In addition, a separate area has been set up for parents to reunite with students about three miles from the school.

According to White House spokesperson Judd Deere, President Donald Trump is currently monitoring the situation. This comes in lieu of Democrats demanding gun control. The news of another school shooting has Democratic senators making a strong case for gun control right on the Senate floor. Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal are well-known advocates for gun control ever since the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. The shooting left 26 individuals dead, including 20 children.

Blumenthal made a point of the recent shooting on the Senate floor.

“As I speak on the floor right now, there is a school shooting in Santa Clara, California,” Blumenthal said, misunderstanding the Santa Clarita location. “How can we turn the other way, how can we refuse to see that shooting in real time, demanding our attention, requiring our action? We are complicit if we fail to act. It is not just a political responsibility, it is a moral imperative,” he said.

Shortly before news of the shooting spread, Sen. Murphy was on the Senate floor mentioning the universal background checks bill that was passed by the House earlier this year. Murphy also asked for Congress to pass the “Bipartisan Checks Act of 2019,” which would establish new background check requirements for firearms transfers between unlicensed individuals. It would prohibit a firearm transfer between private parties unless a gun dealer, importer, or manufacturer possess that firearm in order to conduct a background check on the individual. The House passed this measure in a landslide 240-90 vote.

But the legislation was later blocked by Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith. Hyde-Smith said the reason why she blocked the bill was because her and her colleagues needed more time to think it over. As for the Santa Clarita school shooting, police are still in search of the suspect. It’s still described to be an active shooter situation as the suspect is still at large. Other schools in the area have been on lockdown and students have been dismissed for the day.

Six people have been at least confirmed injured in the shooting. The police are currently talking to various students to get an accurate description of the shooter to help with their search efforts. Law enforcement officers are closing in on Saugus High School in order to find the perpetrator or other perpetrators. Police are said to hold a news conference soon on the shooting at the California high school. Stay tuned to AllMediaNY for more information on this active shooting.