Feb. 2 (UPI) -- The 12-year-old girl who shot two students at Sal Castro Middle School was booked into a juvenile hall on a charge of negligent discharge of a firearm, the Los Angeles Police Department said.
Police described the shooting at the Westlake-area school as "not intentional,", saying the girl in custody did not plan to shoot when she brought the firearm to campus.
One student seemed to corroborate that description, telling the Los Angeles Times he thought the shooter was "playing" with the firearm.
"Someone decided to bring a gun, I guess someone was accidentally playing around with it," 12-year-old Benjamin said. "They thought it was a fake gun."
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The girl shot both a 15-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl on Thursday, police said. Two children, aged 11 and 12 ,and a 30-year-old staffer were also injured.
The 15-year-old boy, who was shot in the temple, was transported in critical condition, Capt. Erik Scott of the Los Angeles Fire Department said. The female student had a gunshot wound to the wrist and was in fair condition.
Officers were seen bringing students out of classrooms after the incident and the school was declared safe hours later.
It is unclear how the 12-year-old shooter, who was taken to Los Angeles County's Central Juvenile Hall, was able to access a gun, police said.
"We do not know yet ... how our young person on this campus ended up having the ability to have access to a firearm and bring it onto a campus," Los Angeles School Police Department Chief Steven Zipperman said.
.@LAPD_ARCOS gives a brief update on an earlier school shooting that took place on the campus of Sal Castro Middle School co-located on Belmont High School @LASchools @LAFDtalk @LASPD pic.twitter.com/2m4QQq8IYV
- LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) February 1, 2018
