14-Year-Old School Shooting Victim Was 'Loved by All'

ByABC NEWS STAFF ABCNews logo
Wednesday, June 11, 2014

-- A male teen fatally shot a student and then apparently killed himself today at Reynolds High School in Troutdale, Oregon, police said, as students were preparing for summer vacation.

A little after 8 a.m. today, witnesses said a male fired an assault rifle in the school locker room and outside the gym, chasing physical education teacher Todd Rispler.

Troutdale Police Department Chief Scott Anderson confirmed that Rispler had suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene.

Authorities said they'd identified the shooter but would not release his name yet. They were notifying the shooter's parents.

The student who was killed was identified as Emilio Hoffman, a 14-year-old freshman on the soccer team.

"I met with Emilio's parents this afternoon, and I can tell you how devastated they are by the news," Anderson said. "They want you to know that Emilio was a great kid -- loved by all."

The shooter entered the separate, detached building that houses the school's gym, where he shot and killed Hoffman in the boys locker room, Anderson said.

As police received the initial reports of an active shooter, two Troutdale Police school resource officers and two other local police officers responded very quickly, Anderson said.

"I believe that their quick response saved many of our students' lives," he said. "For that, your community and I thank you."

The police chief said that even after he was shot, made sure that school official were alerted so they could take steps to protect other students.

"I would also like to extend my appreciation to teacher Todd Rispler who, despite being injured, was able to make his way to the office and initiate the school lock down," he said.

According to The Associated Press, Troutdale police found the gunman dead in a school bathroom. His cause of death was not released. Authorities did not say whether he was a student at Reynolds.

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With a SWAT team on site and police with guns drawn, students filed from classrooms, hands in the air, as they were patted down methodically by law enforcement.

"I was really scared," Jada, a sophomore, told ABC News' Portland affiliate KATU-TV. "I was like, 'This is happening. This is real.'"

Cameron and Cayden, freshmen at Reynolds High School, told KATU-TV that they heard it all from inside the gym.

"The second shots were really loud and really close," Cayden said.

"Our friend Tate was banging on the door. 'There's a guy with a gun,' he said. 'Let us in.' So we let him in and we sprinted toward our weight training room and hid in there." Cameron said.

Behind locked doors, 100 students huddled together.

"When we were in there, everyone was being quiet," Cameron said. "This is not a drill."

The school was in lockdown for nearly an hour as parents rushed to the scene, waiting outside for news of their children.

The student killed by the gunman was remembered by friends.

"He wrote me a note, telling me that I had a pretty smile," one girl said through tears. "I can't believe that I won't see him again, every day."

The Associated Press and ABC News' David Wright and Julia Bain contributed to this story.

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