VANDER, N.C., Oct. 24 (UPI) -- Two North Carolina high school students were in custody Monday in the shooting of a 15-year-old schoolmate, who was hospitalized with a neck wound, police said.
The victim, Catilyn Abercrombie, was shot about 1:20 p.m. in a courtyard outside the cafeteria at Cape Fear High School in Vander, The Fayetteville Observer reported. The freshman was taken to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center and Cumberland County Sheriff Earl "Moose" Butler said she was in stable condition after surgery.
Cape Fear High School and nearby MacWilliams Middle School were put on lockdown for 2 hours, and students were released one classroom at a time to be screened by metal detectors before being allowed to leave, the newspaper said.
Authorities said an assistant principal and a school resource officer were within yards of Abercrombie when she was shot.
"When the incident happened, students who were close to the incident, and in fact supervisors close to the incident didn't know the incident had even happened," Frank Till, superintendent of the Cumberland County schools, said. "There was no turmoil that was occurring."
Senior Shane Faircloth, 17, told the Observer he was near Catilyn when she was shot just before the lunch bell rang. He said he heard the shot and then saw Abercrombie falling to the ground.
"She was holding her neck and trying to get up, and they kept telling her to lay down," Faircloth said. "I thought she was having a seizure when she was on the ground because she was trying to move all kinds of ways. I just thought she was scared. Then I saw the blood, and that's when it got scary."
The newspaper said Ta'von McLaurin, 18, and a 15-year-old whose name wasn't released are suspected of shooting Abercrombie from about 50 feet away with a .22-caliber rifle. They had not been charged as of 9 p.m., the Observer said.
McLaurin was arrested at home. It wasn't clear how the other suspect was taken into custody.
The gun and a shell casing were found in the school by police.
Butler said it did not appear the girl was targeted but investigators had not determined why the gun was fired.
Classes will resume a normal schedule Tuesday, Till said.
