On Jan. 22 a maintenance worker was caught in the crossfire of a shooting at a Texas community college, school and police officials say, according to Yahoo News.
Lone Star College's North Harris campus shooting began when an altercation involving two individuals escalated shortly before 1 p.m., according to local police.
The maintenance worker is listed in critical condition after suffering multiple gunshot wounds. A heart attack is said to be suffered by second victim, who is thought to be a student. Officials have reported that both victims were conscious when they arrived at the hospital.
One of the suspects fled the campus on foot and the other was taken into custody from the scene. Harris County Sheriff's Maj. Armando Tello, reported that five law enforcement agencies searched a wooded area near the school, where the second suspect was taken into custody.
Both suspects were also wounded in the shooting. Carlton Berry has been charged in the incident.
"We do know a handgun was involved," Tello said, and that at least one of the suspects was carrying a student ID.
Richard Carpenter, the Lone Star College chancellor said the shooting occurred between an academic building and the library on the campus, which is located 20 miles north of downtown Houston.
An alert was posted on the school's website before 1 p.m. warning students to take shelter. "LSC-North Harris is locked down," the alert read. "Students, faculty and staff are advised to take immediate shelter where you are. Do not enter the campus until notified further." Four schools that were nearby were placed on lockdown as a precautionary measure.
SWAT team members could be seen evacuating students from several buildings on the campus from aerial views while ATF, FBI and local police searched the wooded area.
Students described the scene as complete and utterly chaoic, during interviews with local media. One female student told KTRK-TV that she heard five shots fired in an area between the library and the cafeteria. Other students said they heard gunshots while they were in cafeteria.
"I was just sitting in my room academic building, room 163 when I heard gun shots," Twitter user @Amandaplease223 wrote. "Rapid shots. In the hallway."
Enrollment at The Lone Star College system is listed as more than 90,000 students at six campuses, according to their website. Approximately 10,000 students attend classes at Lone Star College-North Harris.
This shooting has taken place just a little more than five weeks after the Sandy Hook massacre. There were 26 people gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. Of the 26, there were 20 children and 6 adults that lost their lives that day, fueling the gun debate.
Texas does not allow guns to be carried on their college campuses. However earlier in the week, Texas Sen. Brian Birdwell introduced legislation that would allow students to carry concealed weapons "on university property for personal protection."
The Lone Star College prohibits "knowingly, intentionally or recklessly" setting foot on school property with a firearm according the the school's website.
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