The date marked the shooter's 16th birthday CBS News reports that a Japanese American student killed 2 in a school shooting in Santa Clarita. . The district attorney's office declined to file charges at the time because of insufficient evidence. His Biography, Trivia, Family, Affairs & Wiki. Witness descriptions and surveillance footage identified the suspect within an hour of the shooting. I didnt really ask him what it was that he was depressed about, but from what I could tell he was different. Police have not said who owned the semi-automatic handgun or how Berhow obtained it. 'We all put our hands up,' Mendoza said, 'everyone crying and shaking.'. He wasnt acting like himself., Another friend, Ruan, told KTLA-TV he last saw him six years ago, Over the years we stopped talking, there was a disconnect (between us). Girlfriend, Affair & Relationship History. BREAKING UPDATE: At least one person has been struck by gunfire in a shooting outside Saugus High School in Santa Clarita. Berhow died at the hospital about 3:30 p.m. on Friday, authorities said. Police obtained a warrant to search a home believed to be connected to the suspect, Sheriff Alex Villanueva told KTLA-TV. Students were headed to first-period classes at 7:30 a.m., the sheriffs office said. 'This is it. He identified as the student of the Saugus High School. 157 cm. Nathaniel Berhow died in a hospital one day after shooting himself in the head at the end of a 16th birthday rampage that left two fellow students dead. Authorities are questioning Nate Berhow's girlfriend, reports NBC Los Angeles. However, Mark died in December 2017 due to a heart attack in Valencia, California. READ NEXT: Teenage Porn Star Controversy Rocks California High School, Nathaniel Berhow: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. 'I just heard a lot of kids crying. [37], On February 18, 2021, the words "In Memoriam Gracie Muehlberger and Dominic Blackwell" were added to the sign at the entrance to Central Park to honor the victims of the shooting, following a decision by the Santa Clarita Water Board on December 15, 2020. Los Angeles County detectives joined with officials from the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to determine whether the gun was made from a kit, that is, parts purchased separately and then assembled. They are currently talking to Berhow's mother Samantha and his girlfriend. Students were able to collect belongings left at Saugus High accompanied by a guard. Now it's time to hold China to account, Donald Trump ridicules Republican rival Nikki Haley for delivering speech to half empty hall at CPAC, where the former president is a big favorite to win the party nomination, Self-help author and spiritual teacher Marianne Williamson announces her long-shot primary challenge to President Biden with a call to use love to 'override the forces of hatred', 'He's a disgusting albatross': Trump congratulates Kellyanne Conway for 'getting rid of unattractive loser' husband of 22 years - after she admitted his criticism of former president was a betrayal. An Instagram spokesperson told DailyMail.com on Thursday that the account did not belong to the shooter. Nov. 15, 201901:01. The explanation for the fundraiser read, in part: "The family of Nathaniel Berhow had no idea that dropping him off at school on his birthday would lead to such horrific events. 'It was just so hard hearing her say 'I want my mom,' it was heartbreaking,' Mendoza said. He put the pistol to his head and pulled the trigger. . It's not like Saugus is Sandy Hook." [21] Classes at Saugus High did not resume until December 2. 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. [13] The Los Angeles County Fire Department said firefighters also responded to the shooting before 8 a.m.[10] Santa Clarita is a contract city that uses county sheriff and fire services in lieu of operating its own police and fire departments. The district closed other schools until the following week. Nathaniel Berhow was listed as taking part in a track meet in Santa Clarita where he represented Saugus High School. The first arriving officers found six students suffering from gunshot wounds, including the suspect, and all six were rushed to the hospital. He had been hospitalized in grave condition after the shooting. A high-school student opened fire on five other students at Saugus High School in California's Santa Clarita Valley on Thursday, leaving two dead and three others injured. Nathaniel Berhow with his mother, father and sister. SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE VIDEOS AND NEWS youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=losangelestimes latimes.com/subscription LETS CONNECT: Facebook facebook.com/latimes Twitter twitter.com/LATimes Instagram instagram.com/latimes, Teenage Porn Star Controversy Rocks California High School. Nathaniel Berhow with his father, Mark Berhow, in a photo from his fathers obituary. She noted how common such shootings have become, as someone said to her, "It could have been worse. N.C. Man Killed Girlfriend and 2 Kids Before Setting House on Fire and Turning Gun on Himself. The meet was held in Central Park on September 19. A semiautomatic pistol of .45mm recovered from him. This is Mami Matsuura; she is the mother of Nathaniel Berhow, he is the 16-year-old student at Saugus High School that killed two students, injured at least three other students before turning the .46 caliber semi-automatic pistol to himself. Even the wounded girl, who remained conscious and alert, kept talking and 'making jokes to cope with it. The school is part of the William S. Hart Union High School District. One girl who knew him for years said he wasn't bullied and had a girlfriend. The students inside a barricaded choir classroom were huddled in the dark minutes after shots rang out when one them said: 'I think I got shot.'. [42], US Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, both Democrats from Connecticut, had been advocating for universal background checks when news of the shooting broke. His GPA landed him on the honor roll during fall of eight grade, according to online school records, though he did not appear on the published honor roll last year. He died shortly after 3:30 p.m. Friday, according to the sheriff's department. Katie Holt, a fine arts teacher, had pushed the piano in the music room against the classroom door, two students in the room told Reuters afterward, and grabbed a fire extinguisher, presumably to use as a weapon. Paul Delacourt, assistant director of the Los Angeles FBI field office, told reporters, At this time we have no additional threats, we have no threats to this or any other school. After wounding five students - two fatally - the murderer, identified as Nathaniel Tennosuke Berhow, saved the last bullet for himself. - The whole shooting was captured on . On the other hand, his father, Mark Berhow, belongs to American nationality. You hear about things like this in the news, you dont expect it to be your own community. According to Axen, it was Berhow who found his father after he suffered a fatal heart attack. According to authorities, a 16-year-old girl and 14-year-old boy died. Officials said he . At a press conference on Friday, the sheriff's department said that after working with Instagram overnight, they had learned the account was indeed a hoax that had been set up outside of the country. Some students told reporters they knew what to do based on previous drills. He survived and is currently in hospital in a grave condition. shooting that killed a 16-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy, searched by sheriff's investigators and agents from the FBI and ATF. Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva told media outlets that Nathaniel Berhow's .45 caliber, 1911-model replica semi-automatic pistol was assembled from gun parts and did not have a serial . That student said, We found an Instagram account, like in their bio, it said Saugus have fun at school tomorrow, so I got like speechless and I didnt know what to do, so I reported it to police., BREAKING: Shooting reported at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, CA. Nathaniel Berhow with his father, Mark Berhow, in a photo from . In addition to this, he participated in the track meet held in Central Park on September 19, 2019. This was a seemingly normal child, and this whole event remains a tragic mystery. [33] Given the shooter's demonstrated familiarity with the weapon and speed of the attack, the county sheriff said he believed that the minor had planned the shooting. Berhow who friends reportedly called "Nathan" was a Boy Scout and a member of the track team, online records at Athletic.net show. Video from the chaotic scene showed sheriffs deputies swarming the scene and multiple victims being removed from the school on stretchers. Go to search form. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. The officials did not disclose the shooting motive of Nathaniel Berhow. ', "Sen. Richard Blumenthal got Santa Clarita news while debating gun control on Senate floor", "Following Saugus High School shooting, #MassacreMitch is trending on Twitter", "California Shows Again That Extremist Gun Control Laws are a Failure at Stopping Crime", "Opinion | The shooting at my school will be yesterday's news. 2. Nathaniel Berhow has been identified as the suspect in the Saugus High School shooting. He identified as the student of the Saugus High School . Jared Axen, who lives next door to the family, said Berhow used to go hunting with his father and that firearms 'weren't a mystery to him'. Panicked students ran in and reported the shooting. 'He grew up around firearms, it wasn't a mystery, he knew how to use it and understood how it worked, he was responsible. As a response to the rise of school shootings elsewhere in the United States, the William S. Hart Union High School District had undertaken a number of measures to improve security at the school. [35] A memorial was created outside the high school, and a graduate brought a banner on which to write messages to the dead. Berhow, a sophomore at the high school, pulled a gun out of his backpack and opened fire on his classmates on his 16th birthday, police say. The three of them were the very first on scene, they entered the school literally within seconds of the shooting, the sheriffs office said, followed within a minute by uniformed deputies, at 7:41 a.m. The suspect's mother and girlfriend were being interviewed by detectives. Mami Matsuura-Berhow, the mother of 16-year-old Nathaniel Berhow, who opened fire on his classmates at Saugus High School last year, will not face charges. As we reported, Nathan opened fire at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, CA Thursday, killing two students. My heart is BROKEN. How can we turn the other way? An undated photo of 16-year-old Nathaniel Berhow, who is the suspect . The police department discovered a suspected Instagram account. For Advertisement on our Site or to report a problem, kindly contact our team via email address. On November 14, 2019, at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, California, United States, a school shooting occurred when a student with a pistol, identified as 16-year-old Nathaniel Berhow, shot five schoolmates, killing two, before killing himself.[2][3]. Students were taken by school bus to a reunification point at Santa Clarita's Central Park to meet their parents. "Sometimes the families can be demonized with these things," Axen said. A Facebook tribute to Mark Berhow says that Mami Matasuura had family flying from Japan for the funeral. November 15, 2019 / 5:05 PM Mami's husband Mark suddenly died of a heart attack . He came off as a very responsible person.'. Furthermore, both of them were good childhood friends. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department had presented two charges against Mami Matsuura-Berhow, mother of 16-year-old . Students and others wait outside a reunification center in Santa Clarita. The family of Nathaniel Berhow had no idea that dropping him off at school on his birthday would lead to such horrific events. On the other hand, Santa Clarita is an essential city in Los Angeles. The .45 caliber handgun used by Nathaniel Berhow to kill two fellow students and wound three others at Saugus High School on Nov. 14 was built from parts that can be easily purchased online, the . The closest she could get was a keychain he had with a hollow bullet. . Fans chanted "Saugus Strong! Pingasman123456 1 yr. ago. [30] A friend said that Berhow had grown up around guns and was taught to use them responsibly. Berhow is pictured above as a child with his parents Mark and Mami and his sister. Seeing backpacks scattered everywhere, hearing gunshots, crying in my friends arms not knowing if we would go home is DEVASTATING. He turned around and became the very first officer on the scene. Finn was accompanied by Officer Sean Yanez, of the Inglewood Police Department, and Officer Gus Ramirez, from the LAPD. About seven officers then ushered the students out of the inner office into the choir room, with the students ordered to keep their hands raised to their heads. ', Mendoza said of the teacher was 'literally a hero. I think I got shot,' he recalled her saying. It could be just the relationship that he and I had together but, you know, I just wish he was willing to say that he needed some help.. According to Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department records published in a local newspaper, Berhow's father was arrested in June 2015 on suspicion of attempted battery on his wife Mami Matasuura. Friends said Berhow could be introverted but he had a girlfriend and a good social network focused . [5], Earlier in 2019, students at Saugus High School had participated in a class project to create a training video for dealing with an active shooter. However, the shooting happened on Berhows 16th birthday. A neighbor, Jared Axen, told KTLA-TV, From what I understand, the suspect had been the one who had found his fathers body inside the house. The police took the girl for the inquiry. His parents had divorced in 2016, and Berhow lived with his . Nathaniel shot himself in the head, but survived and is currently in grave condition. [28] Berhow was a Boy Scout and a junior varsity cross country runner for Saugus High School. Where his father died in December 2017 after a heart stroke. [15] Of those who barricaded themselves in classrooms, many used lessons learned in school shooting drills to fortify their protection. A 14-year-old boy and a 16-year-old boy were killed. Two months later, they took shelter in fear", "The answer in Santa Clarita school shooting? A screenshot of the account started circulating online on Thursday after Berhow shot five people, killing two, at his school in Santa Clarita, California. With the school on lockdown, they were told to sit on the choir risers, where they were kept for about two hours before being escorted out of the school, Pamela said. As authorities continue to investigate and try to determine a motive, details about the suspect and his family have started to emerge - including how there were signs of trouble at home. Los Angeles: The teenager who gunned down classmates at a California high school before shooting himself died on Friday, leaving detectives baffled over the motive of a Boy Scout with no obvious alarm bells in his background. The suspected gunman, identified by multiple law enforcement officers as Nathaniel Tennosuke Berhow, pulled a .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol from his backpack in the quad . He came off as a very responsible person., Axen added, On the outside they were very loving, (his mother) worked hard to make sure the children had a future. 70, is alleged to have funnelled millions in illicit funds into properties for his 39-year-old girlfriend, Alina . Santa Clarita is a city of about 200,000 located about 40 miles away from downtown Los Angeles. Nathaniel's . The suspected shooter was hospitalized with a gunshot wound.