Frantic parents descend on school after shooting: ‘I just want my daughter, I want my daughter’

Frantic parents rushed to Salvador Castro Middle School in Westlake on Thursday, desperate for word about the safety of their children after a shooting injured two students.

Tyresha McNair was standing at the corner of Beverly Boulevard and Loma Drive with her young niece seeking information about her daughter, who attends the school. McNair was among many parents who rushed to the scene after seeing reports of the shooting on television.

“I saw it on the news and I came here to get my baby,” she said. “I just want my daughter, I want my daughter.”

At the front gate of the school, she said she was directed to the back, which was blocked off.

“I just keep texting my daughter and she hasn’t texted back right now,” she said. “The school haven’t called me, they haven’t given me no information or nothing. And any other time my baby would respond, and she’s not responding.”

Other parents were also frustrated.

“They tell us to go over there and go over here and we’re hearing the investigation may last five hours, this is frustrating,” Elizabeth Acevedo, 43.

She has an 11-year-old son at the school who doesn’t have a cellphone so he can’t contact her.

“My husband is terribly ill because of his diabetes and I can’t be out here all day,” she added.

Two students were shot in a classroom at the school and one was in critical condition, authorities said.

Police received a report of shots fired about 8:55 a.m. at the school in the 1500 block of West 2nd Street. The victims were described as a 15-year-old male, who was in critical condition, and a 15-year-old female, who was in fair condition.

Three other individuals also suffered minor injuries, according to Capt. Erik Scott with the Los Angeles Fire Department — a 30-year-old woman, an 11-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl. Scott described their injuries as minor abrasions, some from glass.

UPDATES:

11:17 a.m.: This article was updated with comments from parent Elizabeth Acevedo.

This article was originally posted at 10:30 a.m.