Bulverde school shooting: Student used revolver brought from home, sheriff says

BULVERDE, Texas - The student who shot a teacher at a Bulverde high school before turning the gun on himself used a revolver he brought from home, says the Comal County Sheriff's Office.

The school will also remain closed for the rest of the week, according to Comal ISD.

What we know:

CCSO says that the student used a .357 revolver that he brought from home to shoot a teacher, then himself on the campus of Hill Country College Preparatory High School on Monday, March 30.

Investigators believe he may have been experiencing academic difficulties, but any prior disciplinary history is currently unknown.

Investigators also executed a search warrant at the student's home and seized several electronic devices for forensic examination.

The teacher who was injured in the shooting is still hospitalized, but there is no word on her condition.

What's next:

CCSO says that it is currently too early in the investigation to determine whether any charges will be filed against the owner of the revolver.

The investigation is ongoing.

The school district said the high school will remain closed for the rest of the week to give families and staff time to process.

Security expert speaks out

Local perspective:

"No one wants to send their kids to school with the fear of potentially having to bury them. No one in the education space, administrators and teachers want to fear that they may be a target," said Security expert Michael Matranga.

Comal County Sheriff Mark Reynolds says the suspects' own parents went to the reunification center looking for their child, only to learn he was responsible for the shooting.

"If you look statistically, a lot of these weapons that find themselves in schools, whether they're just brought there or whether they are actually used, were obtained from the home," said Matranga.

Security expert Michael Matranga, a former Secret Service agent and CEO of a security consulting firm, says prevention starts with responsible gun storage and early intervention. 

He says the number one rule of owning a weapon is being responsible for it.

"Not only where you're aiming it, but where you are storing it and making sure that it doesn't get into the hands of people who are not capable of having that much responsibility. And so, we really need to do a serious heart check in the state of Texas. We need a heart check throughout the nation. And those of us that are responsible gun owners need to come together and say, 'hey, enough's enough,'" said Matranga.

Investigators believe the suspect may have been struggling academically, but his disciplinary history remains unknown.

"There is always a root cause. We have to get better at identifying them early and intervening before someone loses their lives or severely becomes injured and causes so much trauma, not only to the two people that were shot yesterday, the one who took his life and the one who was shot, but also to the other victims. And people said, well, what other victims? The other ones that were there will forever be living with that trauma," said Matranga.

School shooting in Bulverde

The backstory:

On Monday, March 30, law enforcement responded to reports of gunfire at the Hill Country College Preparatory High School campus.

Investigators say a teacher was shot by a 15-year-old male student, who then turned the gun on himself.

The school was placed under lockdown and students were transported to a nearby middle school for reunification with their parents and guardians.

The campus was closed Tuesday due to the ongoing investigation and to allow for students and staff to process the shooting. Counselors were made available on Tuesday for students and families. 

Student vehicles and belongings on campus will remain secured until further notice, said Principal Julie Wiley in a social media post. Additional guidance will be provided as to when those items can be retrieved.

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