http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16453451/ -

Student arrested in shooting death of classmate


Updated: 5:38 p.m. ET Jan 3, 2007

TACOMA, Wash. - A teenager was shot to death in a high school hallway Wednesday as classes resumed after the winter break, and police arrested a fellow student found wandering a neighborhood a few miles away, authorities said.

Police were trying to determine what prompted the shooting.

Witnesses said the gunman fired three shots at point-blank range, splattering blood on lockers at Foss High School and setting off panic. He did not appear to be aiming at anyone other than the victim.


The medical examiner’s office identified the victim as Samnang Kok, 17.

Kok “got shot — bang — and he just fell,” said sophomore Malcolm Clark. “He just froze and he fell backwards into the lockers.”

The teenager suspected in the shooting was caught without incident about two hours later in a suburban area dotted with homes and shopping centers.

The identities of the two students were not immediately released.


Related story
Discuss: School safety concerns
10 myths about school shootings



Freshman Sam Sao, 14, said she was in the lunchroom, waiting for the bell to ring, when the shots were heard about 7:30 a.m.

“Everyone was yelling, ‘Get in the gym! Get in the gym!”’ she said. “At first we thought it was a fight. Then the teachers started getting on the tables and screaming.”

'I thought it was fireworks'
Student Jacki Phongsavath told KOMO-TV of Seattle he was in a nearby hallway when he heard the gunfire. “I thought it was fireworks,” Phongsavath said. “I looked around the corner and saw someone laying on the ground and blood on the lockers.”



The school was locked down after the shooting. Classes were canceled for the rest of the day and students sent home about an hour later.

Angela Millette was among the parents who rushed to pick up children from a nearby grocery store parking lot. Millette, who did not have time to change out of her pajamas after hearing about the shooting, threw her arms around daughter Ashley, 16.

“I was looking for her and finally, by the grace of God the person opened up the school bus, and there’s my daughter,” Millette said. “I was so glad to see that she was OK.”

© 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Rate this story Low High