Police: 14-Year-Old Boy Holds Students, Teacher Hostage At School
PHILIPPI, W.Va. (KDKA) - A 14-year-old boy is being held in a juvenile detention facility after police say he took a teacher and nearly 30 of his fellow students hostage at a high school in Philippi, West Virginia.
West Virginia State Police say Barbour County 911 received a call Tuesday in reference to a person with a gun at a high school, which was then put on lockdown.
Philippi is a town with about 3,000 residents. It is 125 miles south of Pittsburgh.
The student, who is not being identified because of his age, was armed with a gun when the incident unfolded in a second-floor classroom at Philip Barbour High School.
Negotiations began with the student gunman soon after the incident began around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.
After first agreeing to release his student hostages and the teacher, police say the suspect put down his gun and surrendered. No one was hurt.
If West Virginia State Police know what prompted the boy to take the hostages, they're not releasing that information.
Prosecutors say the boy will face unspecified charges.
Police applauded school officials for having an evacuation plan in place.
Students who weren't in the classroom with the gunman were evacuated to the high school football field, and were later allowed to board buses that took them home.
There will be more police at the school Wednesday morning when classes resume as a precaution.
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