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Gunman injures staff member at Virginia elementary school before dying from self-inflicted wound

A 19-year-old forced entry into Westwood Hills Elementary School in Waynesboro, prompting a lockdown that officials credited with keeping students safe.

The short version

  • A 19-year-old entered Westwood Hills Elementary School in Waynesboro, Virginia, shot and injured a staff member, and died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
  • No students were harmed, and the wounded adult staff member was treated and discharged from the hospital.
  • School officials said emergency lockdown procedures were executed immediately and prevented further harm.
  • Law enforcement continues to investigate the suspect's motive and any potential link to the school or the injured staff member.

Key facts

  • Authorities identified the armed intruder who entered Westwood Hills Elementary School as 19-year-old Anthony Ignatiadis-Isabelle.[Fox News]
  • An adult staff member suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound, received medical treatment, and was released from the hospital.[Fox News]
  • Waynesboro Police Chief David Shaw reported that the suspect was discovered dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in the school library, where no students were present.[Fox News]
  • Waynesboro Public Schools Superintendent Jeffrey Cassell stated that the suspect had no history of attending schools within the district.[Fox News]

What remains uncertain

  • Authorities have not disclosed the suspect's motive, the type of firearm used, or whether there was any prior relationship between the suspect and the injured staff member.[Fox News]

Sources