1 student hurt, another in custody in Ohio school shooting

WEST LIBERTY, Ohio — A male student who was shot and wounded at an Ohio school was hospitalized Friday, and another student suspected in the shooting was in custody, officials said.

West Liberty-Salem Local School District Superintendent Kraig Hissong said the shooting occurred just as classes were getting underway at the school complex roughly 45 miles northwest of Columbus.

Authorities haven’t released information about the shooter. The shooting victim was taken to a Columbus hospital, but neither details about the extent of injuries nor the circumstances of the shooting have been released. No other injuries were reported.

Senior Ashley Rabenstein told local TV reporters that she was in class down the hall at the time, and when students first heard an odd noise, they weren’t sure what it might be because construction has been occurring at the property. She said her teacher checked the hallway, then ran back and said there was a shooter and threw desks against the door to block it. Students fled through the windows and ran through a cornfield to regroup at nearby houses, Rabenstein said.

“Especially in … such a small town like this where you pretty much know everyone who lives in the town, you just never think that stuff like this is going to happen,” she said.

Hissong said teachers and students followed their emergency training.

“This is one of those things that you always see happen in places that aren’t near you, and you don’t think it’s going to occur,” Hissong said. “Of course when they happen closer, such as some of the shootings that occurred within the last year, it helps you take notice and remember that you need to be prepared for a moment like this.”

Students were being bused away from the site so that they could be picked up by their parents. Hissong said administrators would have to further evaluate the situation before decided whether classes resume Monday.