Student killed by gunman on first day back from summer vacation

A teenager shot and killed an 18-year-old student at a school before shooting himself on Monday, according to police.

Juan Pablo Salazar was shot at 9:10 a.m. at the Colegio Ricardo Castro in Orotina, a technical high school school about 60 kilometers west of San José, according to the daily La Nación. The alleged 17-year-old assailant later shot himself in the right temple. The shooter was taken to a nearby hospital by Red Cross relief workers. He was only identified by the last name Villegas because he is a minor. He was not a student of the school, authorities said.

Authorities at Hospital Mexico confirmed Villegas’ death Tuesday morning due to a brain hemorrhage.

The student was shot in the school’s computer room on the first day of classes after a two week summer break. Some students said the shooter entered the room and made everyone leave except the victim.

Education Minister Leonardo Garnier said via Twitter that the event was a tragedy but there is not enough information out yet to comment further on the event.

The attack comes one year after a 17-year-old student killed a principal at a private school in Heredia, north of San José.