Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Poorest Americans Dealt Biggest Blow Under Senate Republican Tax Package

16 hours ago

Trump Vowed to Dismantle MS-13. His Deal With Bukele Threatens That Effort.

20 hours ago

Ukraine Voices Concern as US Halts Some Missile Shipments

20 hours ago

Poll: Most Americans Say National Divide, Political Violence Threaten Democracy

20 hours ago

Paramount Settles With Trump Over ‘60 Minutes’ Interview for $16 Million

20 hours ago

Republicans Tee up House Vote on Trump Bill, Outcome Uncertain

20 hours ago

What’s Next for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs After His Sex Trafficking Trial?

20 hours ago

Dalai Lama Says He Will Be Reincarnated, Trust Will Identify Successor

21 hours ago
School Shooting Suspect Described as Quiet, Smart
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
November 15, 2019

Share

SANTA CLARITA — People who knew the 16-year-old boy suspected of killing two students in a burst of gunfire at a high school outside Los Angeles described him as a quiet, smart kid who they’d never expect would violently snap.
One fellow junior at Saugus High School said he was a Boy Scout who she relied on to study for advanced placement European history. A next-door neighbor who knew the boy as they grew up said he kept to himself but was never threatening.
The boy was taken to a hospital Thursday morning after shooting five other students and then himself in the head, according to authorities, who have not publicly identified him. It was his 16th birthday.
The Associated Press determined the gunman’s identity based on property records for his home, which police said was searched after the shootings, and interviews with three friends.

Active Member of Boy Scout Troop

The boy lived with his mother in Santa Clarita, a Los Angeles suburb of about 210,000 known for good schools, safe streets and relatively affordable housing.
“A quiet, to-himself kid,” said Ryan McCracken, a next-door neighbor who though several years older would play with the boy growing up, including in a backyard tree house. “You wouldn’t expect anything like that from him.”
Brooke Risley, a junior at Saugus High, said she had known the boy since elementary school and saw him Wednesday in engineering class. They were paired on engineering projects during the last school year and he came to her house to work on them.
On Thursday, she couldn’t recall anything indicating he might be violent. The closest she could get was a keychain he had with a hollow bullet.
Risley described the boy as somewhat introverted, though open with his close friends, and “naturally smart.” She said he wasn’t bullied, had a girlfriend and had been an active member of a local Boy Scout troop.
Results posted online from school track meets last spring show he was an unexceptional middle- and long-distance runner. His GPA landed him on the honor roll during fall of eight grade, according to online school records, though he did not appear on the published honor roll last year.

‘He Just Seemed Like One of Those Regular Kids’

Joe Fitzpatrick, a senior who helped the teacher in the boy’s physics class, called him a “good, quiet kid” who didn’t miss assignments and did well on tests.
“He just seemed like one of those regular kids,” Fitzpatrick said.
The boy’s father died two years ago when he was a freshman, according to an online obituary that said he worked for a health care company for 33 years as a field service engineer and “loved big game hunting and fishing of all kinds.”
According to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department records published in a local newspaper, his father was arrested in June 2015 on suspicion of attempted battery on his wife.
Authorities were questioning her Thursday, searching for an explanation like so many others.
“We’re all wondering,” said Risley, “what was the motive?”

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

House Republicans Say They Expect to Vote Tonight on Trump’s Tax-Cut Bill

DON'T MISS

San Luis Obispo’s Madre Fire Grows to 8,300 Acres, Prompts Evacuations

DON'T MISS

SLO Deputies Fatally Shoot Man in Los Osos Weeks After US Marshal Impersonation Arrest

DON'T MISS

Madera County Deputy Injured, Wanted Felon Arrested After Violent Struggle

DON'T MISS

San Luis Obispo County Wildfire Burns More Than 3,000 Acres. No Containment Yet

DON'T MISS

Wired Wednesday: Why Is State Lawmaker Taking Aim at Rooftop Solar?

DON'T MISS

Two Visalia Men Sentenced in 2021 Motel Killing

DON'T MISS

Ex-Jan. 6 Defendant Gets Life in Prison for Plot to Kill FBI Agents

DON'T MISS

Del Monte Files for Bankruptcy. Gets Nearly $1B to Keep Producing Through Process

DON'T MISS

Who is Running for Fresno Area Offices in 2026? An Updated Look

UP NEXT

CHP Officer Dies in Line of Duty After Medical Emergency While on Patrol

UP NEXT

Downtown Housing Could Rise in Many California Cities, but Barriers Remain

UP NEXT

Poll: Most Americans Say National Divide, Political Violence Threaten Democracy

UP NEXT

Trump Pulls Back 150 Guard Troops From Federal Duties in California

UP NEXT

California Republicans Send Message to Trump: Deport Criminals, Not Our Vital Workers

UP NEXT

CA Rolls Back Its Landmark Environmental Law to Speed Housing Construction

UP NEXT

California Seizes Over 600,000 Pounds of Illegal Fireworks. Newsom Calls for Safe Celebrations

UP NEXT

Suspect Identified in Ambush Shooting That Killed 2 Idaho Firefighters

UP NEXT

Buying a Home With Solar? Beware of CA Bill Written by Former Utility Co. Exec

UP NEXT

Trump Administration Sues Los Angeles Over Immigration Enforcement

Madera County Deputy Injured, Wanted Felon Arrested After Violent Struggle

14 hours ago

San Luis Obispo County Wildfire Burns More Than 3,000 Acres. No Containment Yet

14 hours ago

Wired Wednesday: Why Is State Lawmaker Taking Aim at Rooftop Solar?

14 hours ago

Two Visalia Men Sentenced in 2021 Motel Killing

14 hours ago

Ex-Jan. 6 Defendant Gets Life in Prison for Plot to Kill FBI Agents

14 hours ago

Del Monte Files for Bankruptcy. Gets Nearly $1B to Keep Producing Through Process

15 hours ago

Who is Running for Fresno Area Offices in 2026? An Updated Look

15 hours ago

CIA Review Finds Flaws but Does Not Dispute Finding Putin Sought to Sway 2016 Vote to Trump

16 hours ago

Poorest Americans Dealt Biggest Blow Under Senate Republican Tax Package

16 hours ago

Check Out Newest Downtown Mural. It’s a Spectacular Tribute to Fresno Artisans

17 hours ago

House Republicans Say They Expect to Vote Tonight on Trump’s Tax-Cut Bill

WASHINGTON – Republicans in the House of Representatives on Wednesday struggled to pass President Donald Trump’s massive tax-cut...

13 hours ago

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson speaks to the press, as Republican lawmakers struggle to pass U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping spending and tax bill, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 2, 2025. (Reuters/Annabelle Gordon)
13 hours ago

House Republicans Say They Expect to Vote Tonight on Trump’s Tax-Cut Bill

The Madre Fire in San Luis Obispo County has rapidly expanded to 8,396 acres with no containment, prompting evacuation orders and warnings near New Cuyama. (CalFire)
13 hours ago

San Luis Obispo’s Madre Fire Grows to 8,300 Acres, Prompts Evacuations

Andrew Biscay, 40, was arrested Friday, June 20, 2025, after deputies found him with a fake U.S. Marshal’s badge, homemade firearm, and law enforcement-style gear during a warrant arrest. (Madera County SO)
13 hours ago

SLO Deputies Fatally Shoot Man in Los Osos Weeks After US Marshal Impersonation Arrest

On Tuesday, July 1, 2025, a Madera County sheriff’s deputy was injured while trying to arrest a wanted felon, Felix Adrian Nucamendi Carrasco, 40, who later fled and was captured near Raymond Road. (Madera County SO)
14 hours ago

Madera County Deputy Injured, Wanted Felon Arrested After Violent Struggle

A wildfire dubbed the Madre Fire has burned over 3,300 acres near New Cuyama with 0% containment, officials said Wednesday, July 2, 2025. (CalFire)
14 hours ago

San Luis Obispo County Wildfire Burns More Than 3,000 Acres. No Containment Yet

14 hours ago

Wired Wednesday: Why Is State Lawmaker Taking Aim at Rooftop Solar?

Jose Luna (left), 33, and Ralph Grajeda, 45, both of Visalia, have been sentenced for their roles in the 2020 shotgun killing of Robert Soto at a local motel. (Tulare County DA)
14 hours ago

Two Visalia Men Sentenced in 2021 Motel Killing

A U.S. Justice Department logo or seal showing Justice Department headquarters, known as "Main Justice," is seen behind the podium in the Department's headquarters briefing room before a news conference with the Attorney General in Washington, January 24, 2023. (Reuters File)
14 hours ago

Ex-Jan. 6 Defendant Gets Life in Prison for Plot to Kill FBI Agents

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend