MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

School shooting leaves at least 3 wounded in southern Chile

The attackers fled the scene aboard a “lead-colored” vehicle, Carabineros General Renzo Miccono explained

At least three students were injured in a shooting at the Nuevos Horizontes school in San Pedro de la Paz, in Chile's southern Biobío Region. The attackers, two women and a man, entered the school hooded, targeted an 18-year-old pupil on the second floor, and then wounded two brothers (ages 17 and 18) in the parking lot. Authorities believe previous conflicts between the victims and people outside the school could be linked to the incident. Carabineros are investigating and have strong leads to identify and arrest the attackers.

The victims, who were reported to be out of danger, were in class on Thursday afternoon when hooded attackers stormed in, opening fire. Carabineros, healthcare SAMU personnel, and members of the Public Prosecutor's Office rushed to the scene. The wounded students were taken to the Regional Hospital of Concepción for treatment as Carabineros sought the perpetrators, believed to be two women and one man.

“Two of the attackers entered the establishment, went up to the second floor, and wounded an 18-year-old student of the establishment with a firearm,” Carabineros General Renzo Miccono explained. ”Subsequently, (the criminals) fled but, on the way out, in the parking lot of the premises, they wounded two other students, one of 17 and the other of 18 [years of age], who received ballistic impacts,“ he added. The attackers fled the scene aboard a ”lead-colored“ vehicle, he also noted.

”The same students who were shot had previous quarrels with external people, who may be linked (to the subsequent armed attack),“ the chief of the Eighth Police Zone also pointed out.

Meanwhile, Prosecutor Mario Elgueta told reporters that ”at least two people entered, hooded or covering their faces, with a gun and opened fire against several students. We have three people injured, all of them out of vital risk.“ He also mentioned that ”it was determined the existence of at least one shooter with a handgun: we are determining the type of weapon, we know the caliber, but it is part of the investigation.“ Shots were fired ”inside and also outside the school,” he elaborated from witnesses' testimony and security cameras' footage.