A North Carolina high school student was shot dead by a fellow student on Wednesday - the second school shooting in the state in three days.
The victim was identified as William Chavis Reynard Miller Jr., a student at Mount Tabor High School in the city of Winston-Salem, Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough Jr. said.
The gunman was taken into custody hours later. Law enforcement officials arrested the suspect without incident.
The suspect, a 15-year-old boy, has been charged with attempted first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury and weapons offenses.
Law enforcement, local leaders and school officials were visibly shaken during the 4:30pm press briefing.
A North Carolina high school student was shot dead by a fellow student at lunchtime Wednesday - the second school shooting in the state in three days
The victim was identified as William Chavis Reynard Miller Jr., a student at Mount Tabor High School. Cops at the scene
Police Chief Catrina Thompson gave a rundown of afternoon's events but had to stop and collect herself after she said, 'A student was found with a gunshot wound.'
The chief struggled to get the words out. 'He succumbed to his injuries.'
Kimbrough Jr. said, 'I haven't cried in awhile, but I haven't stopped crying since I left the hospital ... While I'm sad, I'm sure mad as hell.'
He had an emotional talk with Miller Jr.'s mom at the hospital.
'She said, "Mr. Kimbrough, my baby." I told her I was going to do everything I could to find who's responsible for this,' Kimbrough Jr. said.
'I wasn't going to give his name. My first responsibility is to the family in times like this, and she said, "Say his name."'
Police said they don't know the shooter's motive or what led up to the shooting.
Winston-Salem Police Chief Catrina Thompson gave a rundown of events of the afternoon, but she had to stop and collect herself after she said, 'A student was found with a gunshot wound.' The chief struggled to get the words out. 'He succumbed to his injuries'
Parents and community members of Winston-Salem, North Carolina hold hands as they pray for this situation
A student's parent - Tracy Bush - spoke to DailyMail.com while she waited to be reunited with her daughter.
'I turned into the mom from "Terms of Endearment" - I started screaming and crying, telling them I'm not leaving without my daughter,' Bush told DailyMail.com after she first got to the school.
'Other parents were doing the same thing. They let some of us in but nobody is with their kid.'
'Everyone here is safe,' Bush told DailyMail.com at 3:10pm.
'Parents are in one area in the office hall, and students are on lockdown thru the school. Sheriff's officers are here, and they keep checking to make sure the doors are locked.'
There's a large police presence including multiple agencies outside of the Mount Tabor High School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina Wednesday afternoon
The suspect remains on the loose. Police are still on scene around Mount Tabor High School
Around 2:40pm - there was a 'disturbance' at Harris Teeter, where parents were told gather to pick up their kids.
There were reports that parents saw the suspect running through the area and chased after him. That was around 2:40pm.
About an hour later, police officers and school officials lifted the lockdowns and started reunifying students with their parents.
Meanwhile, frantic parents seeking information sifted through rumors before the lockdowns were lifted shortly before 4pm.
'Give us a chance to give you the facts,' Kimbrough Jr. said. 'There are many rumors spreading. We are committed to being transparent and will share confirmed information as appropriate.'
This is the second school shooting in North Carolina this week.
On Monday, a 15-year-old was arrested and accused of shooting a fellow student during a brawl at New Hanover High School in Wilmington - about 240 miles Northwest of Mount Tabor High School.
The suspect was arrested and charged with attempted first-degree murder. The victim from that shooting is in stable condition.
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein said, 'We must do more to keep our kids safe at school, including keeping guns out of the wrong hands with universal background checks.'
One student was shot at Mount Tabor High School in North Carolina on Wednesday
Gov. Roy Cooper issued a statement Wednesday afternoon, saying, 'For the second time this week, we have seen a shooting in a North Carolina school.'
'Our prayers are with the victims, their families and all the students of Mt. Tabor High School in Winston-Salem,' the governor said.
'I have been briefed by law enforcement, and the Department of Public Safety is ready to provide any support necessary.
'We must work to ensure the safety of students and educators, quickly apprehend the shooter and keep guns off school grounds.'
State Sen. Paul Lowe, whose district includes the Mount Tabor High School, said he's 'disheartened' after hearing about shooting.
'My thoughts and prayers are with the staff, students and families of Mount Tabor High School and our Forsyth County Community,' Lowe said.
'While the situation remains fluid and the shooter remains at large, I encourage all to listen to local authorities and remain safe.'
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