VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- A student with a 9mm pistol opened fire in a Christian school Friday, killing one teacher and wounding another before his gun jammed as he tried to shoot into a classroom full of children.
The youth, who attended classes at the Atlantic Shores Christian School earlier in the day, was tackled and disarmed.
'If his gun hadn't jammed we would have had an even worse fiasco,' said Virginia Beach police spokesman Lewis Thurston.
No students were injured in the incident, police said.
Police would not identify the juvenile but said he was a student at the school. Authorities believe the youth is 15-years-old.
As of late Friday, the youth had not been formally charged. Authorities said they knew of no motive for the shootings, which took place at about 10:45 a.m.
'The school is only 4 years old and as far as I know we've never had a fistfight, let alone an incident like this,' said Martin Boelens, a trustee of Atlantic Shores Baptist Church.
Later in the day, firefighters found three potentially explosive Molotov cocktails in a school locker. The school was cleared of students earlier in the day and the devices were removed without incident.
Police said teacher Karen Farley, of Virginia Beach, died of multiple gunshot wounds.
The other teacher, indentified as Sam Marino, 37, underwent surgery for a chest wound. He was listed in serious but stable condition at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital late Friday.
The youth shot randomly, roaming among the classrooms housed in four portable buildings. He shot Farley and Marino were alone in separate classrooms when shot, police said.
The youth then walked into a third classroom filled with students and began to shoot.
'Several shots were fired in that classroom and at that time the weapon jammed, thus probably saving numerous lives,' Thurston said.
Counselors were taken to the school to help the children deal with the shooting. About 500 students in kindergarten through 12th grade attend Atlantic Shores.
Many of the students could be seen crying as they waited outside the school f or their parents to pick them up and take them home. School buildings were riddled with bullet holes.
'This is a very bad time,' said School Administrator Fred Fuller.
