Suspects in 2 School Shootings to Be Arraigned Today

The two students accused of opening fire on their high schools in suburban San Diego will be arraigned in the same court this afternoon.

Charles Andrew Williams, 15, and Jason Hoffman, 18, coincidentally had their appearances in El Cajon Superior Court scheduled for 1:30 p.m., a jail clerk said Sunday.

Williams is accused of killing two classmates and wounding 13 other people in a March 5 rampage at Santana High School in Santee. He has not entered a plea.

His arraignment was originally scheduled for March 7, but was continued until today on a request by his lawyers, who intend to challenge the California law mandating that he be tried as an adult.

He is being held in a juvenile facility.

Hoffman faces several counts of attempted murder in connection with Thursday’s assault on the Granite Hills High School campus in El Cajon, less than seven miles from the Santana campus.

Five people were wounded when the high school senior allegedly opened fire with a shotgun in front of an administration building, reportedly aiming at a vice principal.

Hoffman, who was shot by a campus police officer, was transferred from a hospital to the San Diego County Jail’s medical unit Saturday.

Classes at Granite Hills were to resume this morning, after being called off Friday.