Boy, 13, Wounds Principal With Shotgun, Kills Self

A 13-year-old student who faced disciplinary proceedings shot and seriously wounded a parochial school principal Monday and then fatally shot himself on the campus in Redlands, authorities said.

The youth shot the principal of Sacred Heart School without provocation with a 12-gauge shotgun in the presence of two younger students, said Redlands Police Chief Lewis Nelson. The youth, identified by the San Bernardino County coroner’s office as John Sirola, then ran into a courtyard between the school and church and shot himself.

Police said Principal Richard A. Facciolo was taken to Loma Linda University Medical Center for injuries to his upper torso and face. A hospital spokeswoman declined comment on his condition.

Nelson said the motive for the shooting was unclear but that the student had met with Facciolo earlier in the day for “some disciplinary counseling” and that the principal was preparing to call the youth’s parents when the teen-ager “left, got a shotgun and returned.”

The shooting occurred about 90 minutes after classes let out for the day and most of the 350 students had left the campus of the kindergarten-through-eighth-grade school.