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Friday, Oct 8, 2010 10:28 PM UTC

2 injured when man opens fire at California school

Elementary students suffer non-lethal wounds after man ranting about the president shoots at a crowd in Carlsbad

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Topics: California, School Violence,

Two students were injured Friday when a man fired several shots at an elementary school before he was tackled by bystanders, authorities said.

The injuries were not life-threatening, said Carlsbad police spokeswoman Fiona Everett, who did not know the nature of the wounds. The North County Times reported the students were shot in the arm.

Terry Lynn told KNSD-TV he looked out his window to see a man park his van, jump over a fence at Kelly Elementary School, walk across a field, and fire a .357 Magnum revolver toward a crowd of children.

“He was saying something about the president, he was ranting,” Lynn said.

Lynn said he screamed, “No! No!” and rushed to the scene. By the time he arrived, construction workers had tackled the suspect. He helped restrain the man until police arrived.

“It was very chaotic,” he told the television station.

Witnesses said the man appeared to be firing randomly and was holding something that looked like a gas tank.

“I heard the first gunshot and turned and saw a guy with a jack-’o-lantern in his hand running and shooting at something,” Jordan Sears told The San Diego Union-Tribune. “First there was screaming, then there was silence.

“I thought it was fake because I didn’t see kids falling down,” said Sears, who was returning from a nearby lagoon.

The school was placed on lockdown while parents waited for their children in a nearby park.

More Associated Press.

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