© 2024 Blaze Media LLC. All rights reserved.
Students at California high school attack say they barricaded and armed themselves with scissors
Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images

Students at California high school attack say they barricaded and armed themselves with scissors

'I should not have to go to school and fear for my life.'

Frightened, frantic teens hid and armed themselves during Thursday's attack at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, California.

A suspect opened fire on students in the early hours of the school day, killing at least two people and injuring several more.

What did the students say?

According to a Buzzfeed News report, several students barricaded and armed themselves with scissors during the horrific incident.

Ember Miller, a sophomore at the school, added, "A lot of people grabbed scissors, just to prepare in case we had to fight back."

"All of a sudden my best friend, Ellie, taps me on the shoulder and she's like, 'We need to get down,'" Miller continued. "The lights turn off and I'm just sitting there thinking, 'Oh my God, this is happening.'"

"I should not have to go to school and fear for my life," she added. "It breaks my heart to know more students have to die before we realize this is an issue."

Another student by the name of Lauren told NBC News that it took a moment for the dreaded reality of an attack to sink in.

"We heard a shot and at first we thought maybe someone dropped something heavy or a balloon popped," she recalled. "We heard three more and that's when finally our brains finally went out of shock and allowed us to run, and we realized we have to get out."

Alexander Skiba, a freshman, said that he heard the gun shots and witnessed a mass of students running toward him. He helped some who stumbled and fell, and then joined them in taking cover.

"I saw this huge horde of people coming to the exit and just running," he told Buzzfeed. "I saw people falling down and I just went to help them get up. I picked them up and told them to go."

Hiding in the band room

Julius Castillo, 16, said that he was near the scene when it erupted. He was hiding in the band room with about 30 other students, according to Buzzfeed, who were trying to remain quiet when an out of reach cellphone suddenly began to ring.

Terrified that the attacker would hear the noise and locate the large group of kids, Julius said he prepared to defend his friends.

"Everyone was crying," Castillo said. "I thought to myself, 'Calm down, don't panic.'"

The 16-year-old suspect, who reportedly turned the gun on himself, is hospitalized in grave condition at the time of this writing, according to reports. The shooting reportedly took just 16 seconds, killing two teenagers and wounding three others.

Want to leave a tip?

We answer to you. Help keep our content free of advertisers and big tech censorship by leaving a tip today.
Want to join the conversation?
Already a subscriber?