Boy Shot at School in Stable Condition

A 16-year-old boy, shot during an altercation at the private Harvard-Westlake School early Saturday morning, was upgraded to stable condition Sunday, officials said.

The unidentified youth, a burglary suspect in a string of robberies of computer equipment at the school, was initially listed in critical condition at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills after being shot once in the lower back.

Hospital spokeswoman Gari Reed said the boy was still in the intensive care unit but was “awake and alert” Sunday evening. Detectives from the North Hollywood Division of the Los Angeles Police Department declined to release the name of the school official who fought with the boy when the gun went off. The 54-year-old school employee, who apparently lives nearby, responded to a call from a neighbor about noise inside the building.

Once inside, he noticed that a door had been pried open. A confrontation with the boy ensued, and the teenager was shot in the scuffle.

The shooting has raised the issue of whether a school official should be allowed to use a weapon while responding to a break-in.

A review by the district attorney’s office will determine what charges may be filed against the youth and if charges against the school official are warranted.