One student was killed and another wounded Monday in a shooting at a high school in the nation's capital, city and school officials said.
James Richardson, 17, a student at Ballou High School, died after being shot several times in the chest, District of Columbia Police Chief Charles Ramsey said. An 18-year-old student suffered a minor graze wound to one leg and was hospitalized, Ramsey said.
No arrests have yet been made, said Ramsey, who blamed the shooting on a dispute between students that began sometime last week. Everyone involved was believed to be a student at Ballou, he said.
"It's a sad, tragic, terrible day for our city,'' said Mayor Anthony A. Williams, who pledged his support for efforts to improve school security. He also called on parents and students to help.
"We need your help in bringing the perpetrators to justice. We need your help in providing (a) safe learning environment for children,'' said Williams.
The shootings occurred at about 10:30 a.m. EST near the cafeteria, authorities said. The building was locked down and students were kept inside. Relatives and friends of the students were allowed inside the school about 90 minutes after they had gathered outside the crime scene tape in front of the building. They were briefed by school officials and then allowed to take their children home.
The scene outside was chaotic, with parents screaming and complaining loudly about security.
Ballou has been the scene of other trouble in recent months. The school was closed from Oct. 2 to Nov. 5 after a student removed mercury from an unlocked science classroom and then splattered the toxic substance in various areas of the building. Decontamination of the building took more than a month.
The school's reopening was marred by gunfire just before classes let out, when a man allegedly fired a handgun in the direction of the building. "We can't take this any longer,'' said interim Superintendent Elfrida Massie, who invited community leaders to work with her to solve problems at Ballou. "One agency cannot solve this problem alone.''
D.C Council member Kevin Chavous called for immediate measures to improve security, including security guards and metal detectors at every exit.
"We are going to have to put some extreme resources in here to do whatever is necessary to protect our kids,'' he said.