A boy shot this week at an Oxnard middle school was pronounced brain-dead Wednesday, and the 14-year-old classmate suspected in the shooting could be tried for murder as an adult, authorities said.
Lawrence King, 15, an eighth-grader at E.O. Green School, was pronounced brain-dead at St. John's Regional Medical Center in Oxnard about 2 p.m. after two examinations by neurosurgeons, said Craig Stevens, a Ventura County senior deputy medical examiner.
Although King was clinically dead, he was being kept on life support late Wednesday for possible organ donations, Stevens said.
King's condition appeared to be improving Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, according to police and school district officials. It was not immediately clear what caused his condition to take a mortal turn.
King was shot in the head about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday in a computer lab where about two dozen other students were working on English assignments, authorities said.
Student witnesses said classmate Brandon McInerney shot King twice. Authorities have declined to identify the suspect.
The shooter left the computer lab after the attack and dropped the gun at the scene. Minutes after responding to Green, a Port Hueneme police officer noticed a boy who matched the shooter's description walking and talking on a cellular phone on Pearson Road, Port Hueneme police Cmdr. Jerry Beck said. The officer arrested the 14-year-old, who was later identified as the suspect, Beck said.
Murder charge possible
Oxnard police, who are in charge of the investigation, had not formally presented a case to the District Attorney's Office. But District Attorney Greg Totten said Wednesday that given the severity of the crime, he expected the suspect to be charged as an adult.
The suspect could be charged with murder and using a firearm during the commission of a crime, Totten said. If convicted, the 14-year-old boy could be sentenced to 50 years to life in prison.
The District Attorney's Office expected to file charges this morning. The suspect is scheduled to be arraigned in Ventura County court this afternoon. He was being held in Juvenile Hall on Wednesday.
Relatives of McInerney declined to comment Wednesday.
"It's a horrible tragedy for everybody involved," said McInerney's attorney, Brian Vogel.
"My client's family's thoughts and prayers go out to the teen's family," Vogel said of the victim.
Two had personal dispute
Relatives of King, a foster child, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Oxnard police said the shooting apparently stemmed from a personal dispute between King and the suspect. Police spokesman David Keith said investigators interviewed more than 100 people Tuesday, but he declined to reveal further information on a possible motive.
Some students have said King was openly gay, although police and school officials have declined to comment on that. Others have said he and the suspect had an ongoing dispute, including an argument Monday.
Matthew Puga, a seventh-grader at Green, said King was sometimes teased for wearing makeup and girl's clothing to school. Another seventh-grader, Emmanuel Martinez, said other kids would often pick on King because he dressed and acted differently.
Speaking to reporters who gathered outside the C Street campus before classes resumed Wednesday morning, Principal Joel Lovstedt said he was not aware of any previous fight between the victim and suspect. "If there had been a fight, it wasn't to the level that it reached my office," he said.
Lovstedt said he had heard reports of teasing, and he had spoken to the victim about the problem. "I've talked to the victim myself, and I said if anyone teases you, let me know," he said.
Lovstedt said the suspect "didn't seem like a violent kid at all."
King was in foster care, living for the past few months at Casa Pacifica, a residential center for troubled and abused youths in Camarillo, said Steven Elson, the facility's administrator. King traveled by bus to Green every day, he said.
Elson said he could not comment on King's personal life because foster care records are confidential.
Memorial planned
"It's just overwhelming, unbelievable," he said of the shooting. "Our staff and kids are really trying to cope with this.
"We have not had a child die in a violent manner like this," Elson said, adding that Casa Pacifica plans to hold a memorial service next week.
Staff members at Casa Pacifica were familiar with King's struggles, and when they heard about the shooting, they contacted the Ventura County Rainbow Alliance, said Jay Smith, executive director of the alliance. The nonprofit group advocates for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights.
About three-quarters of Green's 1,150 students showed up for class Wednesday, said Hueneme School District Superintendent Jerry Dannenberg. As the school day began, mental health counselors spoke to each class. Students were also invited to visit counselors individually.
"I'm very sad that he died and I won't be seeing him anymore," student Martinez said.
Need for tolerance stressed
Dannenberg met with reporters at the school after hearing of King's worsening condition. "I'm deeply saddened by what happened," Dannenberg said. "My heart and my prayers go out to his family."
Without commenting on a possible motive, Dannenberg stressed the importance of tolerance. "We have to be accepting of others, and when there are differences, people need to resolve them without resorting to violence," he said.
Oxnard Councilman Tim Flynn expressed his sorrow, saying "you have two young lives completely destroyed."
Flynn's father, county Supervisor John Flynn, went to the school Wednesday afternoon. The elder Flynn said he taught at the school when it first opened in the 1960s. "It's horrible what happened here," he said.
Principal Lovstedt said Green would review its safety policies.
"This is a horrific act. If we had any inkling that something like this would have happened, we would have stopped it," he said.
"This has generally been a pretty good school — not a lot of fights on campus. The next part we need to look at is prevention."
— Star staff writers John Scheibe, Anna Bakalis, Raul Hernandez and Kathleen Wilson contributed to this report.
