Teenager kills himself in front of students
An Australian teenager has shot himself dead on a school library balcony in front of other students.
The 16-year-old suffered a single gunshot wound to the head and died instantly at Modbury High School, in Modbury, South Australia.
It's believed several teachers also saw the shooting from inside, or near, the library. Several students were treated for shock while others were so distraught they were taken home.
When paramedics arrived, they found the youth lying dead beside a .303 high-powered rifle.
It's not known whether the student had previously left the school grounds to get the rifle, or whether he had it in his possession for the entire day.
Sam Fuller, 14, said: "At first no one knew what was happening. We were just walking around asking what happened. Then everyone started saying someone had shot himself. Everybody is really sad and crying - lots of people knew him."
Police and school officials organised counsellors to comfort distressed children.
The incident was believed to be the first fatal shooting at an South Australian school.
The last major shooting incident at an SA school was in 1993, when a 14-year-old boy fired at least two shots at Banksia Park High School. No one was shot in that incident.
