3 killed, 8 injured in shooting at Oxford High School in suburban Detroit

Three people were killed and eight others were injured in a shooting Tuesday at Oxford High School in suburban Detroit, authorities said.

The suspect, a 15-year-old sophomore, is in custody, Oakland County Undersheriff Michael McCabe said at a news conference. A handgun was also located, he said.

The three people killed are all thought to be students, he said. Their identities have not been released, but McCabe described them as a 16-year-old boy, a 14-year-old girl and a 17-year-old girl.

The eight wounded, including a teacher, were taken to hospitals with various injuries, according to officials. Two were in surgery late Tuesday afternoon, and their condition was unclear. Six others were stable, officials said.

Authorities received a 911 call about an active shooter at the school just before 1 p.m., McCabe said. More than a hundred 911 calls came in to dispatch, he told reporters.

The suspect fired between 15 and 20 shots before he was taken into custody.

"Deputies responded, and within five minutes had the suspect in custody," McCabe said. "He did not cause any problems. He gave the weapon up. He didn't have the weapon on him at the time."

Authorities did not say what led to the shooting, and McCabe told reporters that the suspect "invoked his right to not speak." Police briefly spoke to the suspect's parents, who McCabe said advised their son not to speak to police.

“He’s not telling us anything at this point in time,” he said.

The suspect is being held at a juvenile facility but could be moved if he is charged as an adult.

Multiple law enforcement agencies, ambulances and SWAT team members responded to the school. Students were evacuated and taken to a store in the area to be reunited with their families.

Oxford High School is about 45 miles north of Detroit.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called the deaths and injuries "horrific" and said it's time for the community to come together to "help our children feel safe at school."

She choked up during a news conference Tuesday evening, calling the shooting "every parent's nightmare."

"This is a uniquely American problem that we need to address," Whitmer said. "But at this juncture, I think we need to focus on the community, the families, supporting all the first responders including incredible people at our hospitals that are working so hard to save the lives of those who are fighting for their lives."

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that President Joe Biden has been informed of the shooting.

“My heart goes out to the families enduring the unimaginable grief of losing a loved one,” Biden said Tuesday during a visit to a technical school in Minnesota. “That whole community has to be just in a state of shock right now.”