Advertisement Police: Student planned school shooting; Victims random Student opens fire on classmates in Berrendo Middle School gym in Roswell Share Shares Copy Link Copy

New Mexico State Police said the 12-year-old accused of opening fire in a Roswell middle school Tuesday planned the attack.VIDEO | Police: Student planned shooting; Victims randomThe suspect is Mason Campbell. Because he is under the age of 14, the district attorney said he cannot be charged as an adult. According to court documents obtained by Action 7 News, Campbell faces three charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. NMSP Chief Pete Kassetas revealed the department's findings at a Wednesday afternoon news conference.Kassetas said their preliminary investigation revealed that Campbell warned a few students before opening fire in the Berrendo Middle School gymnasium. "We believe (the warnings) were in person to some select students before he entered the gymnasium," Kassetas said.Kendal Sanders, 13, and Nathaniel Tavarez, 12, were injured. Sanders is in satisfactory condition, while Tavarez is in critical condition. Kassetas said he believes the victims were chosen randomly. Kassetas said the 12-year-old shooter fired three shots from a modified shotgun. One round hit the ceiling, another hit the floor and the final round hit the two victims. The victims were 12 to 15 feet from the shooter. The suspect's family released a statement Wednesday saying that they praying for everyone involved and plan to fully cooperate with authorities. CLICK HERE to read the full statement. State police haven't confirmed the name of the shooter because of the criminal code and the laws surrounding it."I know there's been some discussion about the suspect, his name and why I haven't been able to disclose that. It's because I'm bound as a law enforcement agency by the criminal code and the children's code as to what I can say," Kassetas said.State police said the believe the shooter acted alone and it's an isolated incident. He is in police custody. Authorities released several 911 calls from the shooting. KOAT has posted them all. CLICK HERE to listen. Warning, some may find the content disturbing. Officers have interviewed more than 60 people as part of their investigation. "It's a very complex case, and we need to make sure we get it right," Kassetas said. Students will go back to class Thursday morning. They are encouraged to see counseling. CLICK HERE for 10 tips on dealing with trauma.PREVIOUS COVERAGE OF THE SHOOTING BELOWNew Mexico State Police said a student opened fire with a shotgun in the Berrendo Middle School gym Tuesday morning, seriously injuring two other students.CLICK HERE for live video and real-time updates on this shooting on our Live Wire Live BlogIn 10 seconds, police said a 12-year-old seventh-grade student entered the middle school gym in Roswell, shot two of his classmates and was subdued by eighth-grade social studies teacher John Masterson. It was Masterson who convinced the boy to put his gun down.Masterson pinned the boy against the wall and was aided by NMSP Lt. Gary Smith in subduing the boy. Smith had been dropping his child off at school when he was asked to come help. The gun was down by the time Smith entered the gymnasium.“The 10 seconds from when this thing starting until the teacher had control of the weapon -- there was no cowardice,” said Tom Burris, Roswell Independent School District superintendent. VIDEO: Burris discusses Roswell shooting at length“A student walked into the school this morning and while students were gathered in the gym because of the weather, this individual opened fire on the audience that was in the gym," said Gov. Susana Martinez.About 500 students were in the gym at the time.A 13-year-old girl, a 12-year-old boy and a school staff member were injured in the commotion.The staffer was treated for minor injuries, but the injured boy and girl were eventually taken by helicopter to University Hospital in Lubbock, Texas.“A staff member received very minor injuries and did not ask for medical care because he wanted to continue to take care of the children that were in the gym,” said Martinez. “The shooter was quickly stopped by one staff member who walked right up to him and asked him to set down the firearm, which he did. He was also assisted by a state police lieutenant who was dropping off his own child.”As of Tuesday night, the injured boy entered a second surgery in critical condition. He suffered injuries to the head and neck.The girl is in stable condition after surgery. She suffered injuries to the shoulder.“As a Level 1 trauma center for a vast part of the southwestern U.S., we get a lot of patients in from other parts of the country,” said Eric Finley with UMC Medical Center. “Our team is prepared for this. Our doctors and nurses have trained for these instances.”10 quotes that summarize what happened in RoswellThe seventh-grade shooting suspect had a court hearing Tuesday and was taken to an Albuquerque psychiatric hospital after that, according to our partners at the Albuquerque Journal. At a news conference Tuesday night, state police said they didn't want reveal the location of the boy but said he was in state police custody."I'm not going to give up (an exact location) for his safety, my officers safety and to speak to the process. I want to make sure there are no interruptions there," New Mexico State Police Chief Pete Kassetas said. "I can assure you he has representation and family."VIDEO: Gov. Susana Martinez details Roswell shootingAt 8:11 a.m., New Mexico State Police and local authorities responded to the gunshots. A teacher at the school said when classrooms were placed on lockdown, the lights were turned off, students hid under their desks and prayed. “They just came on the announcements and just told the kids to go to their classrooms and it was a lockdown,” said a substitute teacher in the building during the shooting. “I just told them to pray.”Police said the weapon was a 20-gauge shotgun with the wood stock sawed off. Police will serve warrants on the suspect's locker, bag and residence.Police have said the only individual responsible for the incident is in custody. No motive for the shooting has been identified.VIDEO: Gov: Middle school teacher a heroChildren at the school were eventually bused to the Roswell Mall, and parents were told to pick them up there. Parents were also told to avoid the school.“I am asking that all New Mexicans please keep these two children in your prayers," Martinez said. "We have a 12-year old and a 13-year-old who were shot while simply sitting in their gym waiting to go to class. One of them is in surgery. Please don’t forget that this community is a strong community. They will pull together.”Burris has canceled school for Wednesday. He said counseling professionals will be available to the children when they return to school Thursday.VIDEO: Sky 7 Surveys Roswell School Shooting SceneAlbuquerque criminal defense attorney Jason Bowles has confirmed he is a relative of the suspect.“Right now we don’t know all the facts and circumstances," he said. "Our family, right now, is prayerful and thinking of the kids that were hurt and their families and praying that God will oversee this situation. Our thoughts and prayers are for those kids that were hurt.”