A 17-year-old was taken to a hospital after being shot in the thigh near Sepulveda Middle School in North Hills on Wednesday afternoon, with authorities identifying a 13-year-old student as the suspect in the incident that triggered a campus lockdown.
The shooting happened at approximately 3:09 p.m. on the 15300 block of Plummer Street. The Los Angeles School Police Department identified the juvenile suspect as a student at Sepulveda Middle School. The victim’s condition was unknown at the time of initial reports.
“The shooting occurred off campus adjacent to Sepulveda Middle School,” LASPD Officer Jorge Herrera confirmed.
Authorities recovered the firearm at the scene. The 13-year-old suspect was taken into police custody. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the victim was not enrolled at Sepulveda but was walking toward the campus to pick up a younger sibling when an altercation broke out.
The shooter did not appear to have specifically targeted the victim, according to authorities.
School officials immediately placed the campus on lockdown following the shooting. In a message to families, the principal wrote that staff “placed the campus on lockdown and requested the assistance of the Los Angeles School Police Department.” The lockdown has since been lifted.
LAPD Officer Rosario Cervantes confirmed the suspect’s involvement to City News Service. The Los Angeles Unified School District deployed extra LASPD patrols to the campus on Thursday, with the local district office providing additional staff and mental health resources for students.
The Los Angeles School Police Department urged anyone with information regarding the Sepulveda Middle School shooting to call their communication center at 213-625-6631. Tipsters preferring anonymity can submit information through the Los Angeles Schools Anonymous Reporting mobile app.
The incident in California occurred on the same day authorities in Oneida County, New York, revealed chilling details of a foiled mass shooting plot at Clinton Middle School that investigators say came dangerously close to execution.
Three students—two girls, ages 13 and 14, and a 13-year-old boy—were charged in connection with the alleged plot targeting the Clinton Middle School cafeteria for a mass shooting planned for April 17. A parent reported disturbing content on Snapchat at approximately 1:42 a.m. on April 11, triggering the investigation.
Sheriff Robert Maciol described the thwarted attack as the most serious threat his department has ever encountered.
One of the girls had become obsessed with the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, according to court documents. Her mother confirmed to investigators that her daughter was “recently infatuated with the Columbine school shooting.” The same girl allegedly told police she could obtain a firearm from a classmate, and investigators say she had been trying to pick the lock of a gun safe in her basement.
Investigators secured the girl’s journal, which contained entries dated April 9. The journal detailed her intentions to commit violence, including references to wanting to be “remembered in the worst, most disturbing possible way.” Authorities also found writings referencing Sandy Hook and the fictional school shooter Cal Gabriel from the 2002 film “Zero Day.”
Investigators collected 11 firearms from the 13-year-old boy’s home. Police charged him with conspiracy in the second degree, a Class B felony. A fourth juvenile, who was interviewed but deemed not a suspect, had their family voluntarily surrender 30 firearms to authorities out of an abundance of caution.
Both girls received misdemeanor charges for aggravated threat of mass harm and are undergoing mental health evaluations. Clinton Central School District announced it will close Friday—the date the attack had allegedly been planned—as the community processes the threat.
In New Port Richey, Florida, a separate shooting on Wednesday morning near Louisiana Avenue and Colonial Drive sent a 16-year-old girl to the hospital in stable condition. The New Port Richey Police Department took two people into custody, including one with multiple outstanding warrants.
Authorities placed Richey Elementary School, Gulf Middle School, and Gulf High School on controlled campus status as a precaution. Police emphasized that everyone involved in the Florida shooting knew each other and described it as an isolated incident with no threat to the public. The schools have since resumed normal operations.
These three incidents—spanning California, New York, and Florida—underscore the persistent challenge facing schools nationwide: how to protect students when violence can emerge from within their own ranks. With firearms readily accessible and troubled youth increasingly turning to past massacres for inspiration, educators, law enforcement, and parents face an urgent reckoning.