California High School Shooter Dies From Wounds

A teenage shooter who opened fire at his high school in Southern California this week, and then turned the gun on himself, died from his wounds Friday afternoon.

Police said Nathaniel Berhow, 16, died at a hospital with his mother at his side.

Berhow shot five fellow students Thursday at his high school in Santa Clarita with a 45-caliber semiautomatic pistol, killing a 15-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy. Berhow, whose 16th birthday was the day of the shooting, saved the last bullet for himself, shooting himself in the head.

Captain Kent Wegener of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's homicide unit told reporters Friday that police had so far been unable to determine Berhow's motive, even after carrying out more than 40 interviews. He said no manifesto or suicide note had been found.

Random targets suspected

Berhow opened fire in an outdoor plaza at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, about 65 kilometers (40 miles) north of Los Angeles.

"As far as we know the actual targets were at random," Sheriff Alex Villanueva said.

"There's no relationships that we can tell [between] the suspect and the victims," he said.

Police said there also was no evidence that the teen had been bullied.

Quiet, sociable

Classmates described Berhow as quiet but sociable. They said he was a Boy Scout and had previously been on the school's track team.

Police said they were trying to determine how and where Berhow obtained his gun. Media reports said Berhow's father, who died in December 2017, had sometimes taken Berhow on hunting trips and might have taught him how to shoot.

Saugus High School has 2,385 students enrolled in grades nine through 12 for the 2019-20 school year.