Boy, 15, accused of shooting classmate dead in school
A 15-year-old boy was facing a murder charge today, accused of gunning down a classmate in front of horrified pupils during a dispute at a US high school.
The victim, Ryan McDonald (aged 15) who lived with his grandmother, had alopecia, a condition that left him bald and the target of endless teasing as a child.
"He tried to have a tough exterior, like a shield, to fit in," his uncle, Roger McDonald, said.
"He was a good kid ... who was dealt some bad cards in life."
The shooting happened shortly after 8am local time yesterday at the cafeteria at Central High School in Knoxville, Tennessee, Deputy Chief Bill Roehl said.
The suspected gunman was taken into custody minutes later on a nearby street. The suspect and victim knew each other, Knox County School System superintendent Jim McIntyre said.
Jamar Siler (aged 15) was charged with one count of first-degree murder and was being held in a juvenile court facility, police spokesman Darrell DeBusk said.
"This wasn't a shooting that was a random act," Mr Roehl said. "It was an individual directing his aggression toward another individual, not the school or the students inside the school."
The cafeteria was a popular place to gather before classes started at 8.30am, students said. Chad Griffin (aged 15) and Josh Matthews (aged 14) said that they were sitting about 10 feet away from the victim and talking when they heard a sharp noise.
Chad at first thought someone had dropped a book and then looked around.
"He got shot and started walking and he was holding his chest. There was blood everywhere. And then he fell and his arm hit me," he said.
Pupils in the cafeteria began crying and scrambling to leave, while others tried to get in the room, thinking they had missed a fight, witnesses said.
The school, which has about 1,400 pupils, was placed on lockdown after the shooting.
