13-Year-Old Killed In New Mexico Middle School Shooting; 1 Student In Custody

One student was killed and another was taken into custody Friday after a shooting at a middle school near downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico, during the lunch hour, according to authorities.

The boy, believed to be 13, was fatally shot at Washington Middle School in Albuquerque, the Albuquerque Journal reported. The victim was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Albuquerque Police Department deputy commander Kyle Hartsock told reporters.

The alleged shooter, also believed to be around 13, was detained, Hartsock said. The identities of the two kids were not divulged since they are minors.

Police said at a news conference that the middle school shooting was an isolated incident. No one else was injured in the incident, which took place outside the school building near the track.

A school resource officer reportedly rushed to the two boys when the gunfire occurred to prevent further violence.

It was the second shooting incident reported in Albuquerque in less than 24 hours, the Associated Press reported. The city has already matched its homicide record in the first eight months of 2021. The previous annual high for Albuquerque was 80 homicides in 2019.

"I want to send out my thoughts and prayers to all of our students, all of our families that are impacted by this horrible event," Albuquerque Public Schools superintendent Scott Elder was quoted as saying by ABC News at the news conference.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham also issued a statement, saying she was "horrified and heartbroken" by the shooting.

"We must continue to do everything in our power to address the scourge of gun violence in our state," Grisham said. "These tragedies should never occur. That they do tells us there is more work to be done. My office has been and will remain in close contact with the district and local authorities as we await additional details of the investigation."

Authorities are now trying to find out how the student was able to get hold of the gun. They are also investigating what led the student to open fire at the school.

The shooting took place on the third day of classes for Albuquerque’s public school district. The school was placed on lockdown, and parents were called to pick up their children following the incident.

Students are not expected back until Tuesday.

Elder added that the school is now making preparations to make sure that students have access to counseling or any support service they require when they return.

"There’s a lot of pressure in the community. People are nervous. It was a terrible incident that happened between two people. It should have never happened. ... This shouldn’t happen in the community. It certainly shouldn’t happen at a school," Elder said.

More police presence is expected when students return to school. They will also be around if some students could provide more information on the shooting.