2 Die as Teen Opens Fire at School After Killing Mother, Police Say

A 16-year-old boy stabbed his mother to death Wednesday, then went to school with a rifle and opened fire, killing his former girlfriend and another student and wounding seven others, police said.

The youth, who was not named because of his age, was distraught over a breakup with his girlfriend, Police Chief Bill Slade said, choking back tears as he talked about the rampage in this town of 22,000 people just outside Jackson.

“He gave us a statement, and his manifesto was that he felt he had been wronged,” the chief said.

The teen was arrested as he drove away in his dead mother’s car and was charged with murder and aggravated assault.

Police said the former girlfriend was the first to fall, followed by three young men and five young women apparently shot at random.

“He was shooting anybody he could find. He shot at me and hit the staircase,” said Mark Wilkerson, a freshman. “I saw fragments going everywhere.”

Students ran screaming into classrooms and dived for cover.

Casey King, a ninth-grader, said the attacker talked to at least one of the wounded. “He apologized, said he was sorry and was not shooting anybody in particular,” King said.

Police later found the body of the 50-year-old mother at her home, about a mile from the school. She had been stabbed with a kitchen knife, police said.

Police identified the slain students as Christina Menefee, 16, who dated the suspect, and Lydia Kaye Dew, 17.

Three of the wounded students were hospitalized.

Classes were canceled until Monday, but students were told to report on Friday for counseling.

Weeping students gathered in small groups outside the school, where the flag was lowered to half-staff. Others held hands and prayed.