(UPDATE, 5:35 pm) The victim is out of surgery, and a 14-year old is facing a criminal charge. Click here for the latest information.
An investigation is underway into the shooting of a 15-year old boy in Great Falls on Tuesday. The Great Falls Police Department says that at about 7:50 a.m., the student was shot as he was walking along the 1600 block of Valeria Way on his way to Great Falls High School.
Two suspects ran away, according to the GFPD, but both were apprehended within an hour. The names of the suspects have not been released at this point. Great Falls High School implemented "shelter in place" procedures as a precaution.
The victim was taken by ambulance to a hospital, and reportedly sustained life-threatening injuries.
Estella Reyes lives in the 1600 block of Valeria Way and was home at the time of the shooting.
Reyes said, "I was making breakfast for my son and I heard two gunshots. I walked over to the window and looked outside the back door and saw a slender person dressed in black running between the two buildings."
She added, "I've already been on the fence about putting my kid in public schools, daycares, anything. It just feels safer whenever he's at home."
Another woman who lives on the block but didn't want to be identified says her sons also heard the shooting: "He looked out the south window and the 15-year old was leaning against a neighbor's van and he was holding his stomach. One of the neighbor's kids was running to get something like a towel and he was applying pressure to the kid's stomach."
There is no word on any possible motive for the shooting, but police say that the shooting was "isolated to those involved," and it was not random.
We will update you if we get more information.
(1st REPORT, 8:19 am) The Great Falls Police Department is investigating the shooting of a 15-year old male who was shot while walking to school on Tuesday, February 21, 2023.
The GFPD says that at about 7:50 a.m., the student was shot as he was walking along the 1600 block of Valeria Way to Great Falls High School.
Two suspects ran away, according to the GFPD; police say they have identified the two suspects, but have not yet found them.
Their identities have not been made public at this point.
Great Falls High School is currently in "shelter in place" mode. Police ask that people stay away from the area as they continue searching for the suspects.
We will update you when we get more information.
