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Stewartville school shooting update: Student injured, suspect killed; latest on motive
Student critically wounded, man dead in early-morning parking lot shooting; authorities continue investigation
A shooting early Friday morning in the parking lot of Stewartville High School has left a high school student critically injured and an adult man dead, authorities confirmed.
Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office deputies were called to the scene at approximately 5 a.m. local time on December 12 after reports of gunfire in the high school’s parking area, which is adjacent to the school.
According to officials, the shooting occurred as the school’s wrestling team was preparing to board a bus for a competition.
Law enforcement officials are continuing their investigation and have announced a closure of Stewartville Public Schools for the day, and a heightened police presence as investigators work to understand what happened.
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School was canceled
Stewartville Public Schools Superintendent Belinda Selfors confirmed in a statement that all classes and activities were canceled for Friday out of an abundance of caution following the incident.
Officials also canceled scheduled athletic events, including a basketball game, citing the ongoing investigation and community shock.
In her message to parents and staff, Selfors expressed support for law enforcement efforts and emphasised that there was no current threat to students, staff or the public. She wrote that the school would “support the investigation in any way we can.”
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What happened?
At 5 a.m., dispatchers received a call reporting that a person had been shot in the school parking lot. When deputies arrived, they discovered two people with gunshot wounds.
Sheriff Kevin Torgerson, in a press briefing, mentioned that one of the wounded persons was a male student. The student was rushed to Mayo Clinic Hospital in Rochester for emergency surgery. The student, identified as a member of the wrestling team, remains in critical but stable condition, officials said.
The other person was an adult male who was found dead on the scene from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound and had a rifle in his hand.
At the time of shooting, the school's wrestling squad was ready to compete in a wrestling meet. According to the team's schedule, the event was to be held in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
"We don't know anything that led up to this at all, at this point," Olmsted County Sheriff Kevin Torgerson said during the press conference.
Authorities have not released the names or ages of those involved. The relationship between the student and the adult is not yet confirmed. However, both families are cooperating with investigators, the sheriff’s office said.
