Student dead as hallway fight ends in gunfire

A North Carolina high school student shot and killed a fellow student during a fight in a crowded school hallway Monday, officials said, prompting a lockdown and generating an atmosphere of chaos and fear as dozens of parents rushed to the school to make sure their children were safe.

The student accused of firing the fatal shot was arrested quickly as investigators secured the campus at Butler High School in Matthews, about 12 miles southeast of Charlotte, said Matthews Police Department Capt. Stason Tyrrell. Students remained inside with the school on lockdown for about two hours after the shooting.

The male student who was shot died at a hospital, Tyrrell said. He said the suspect, also male, was quickly taken into custody by a school resource officer as others rushed to the scene as backup. Investigators have the weapon used, but have not said what it is. Neither the suspect nor the victim’s names or ages were immediately released.

“We were able to review the surveillance video of the shooting, which was a fight between the two students,” Tyrrell said, describing it as an “isolated incident.”

Tyrrell said the shooting happened in a hallway as crowds of students arrived for the day. Charlotte-mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Clayton Wilcox said that many students witnessed the shooting.