Family lawyer identifies Ohio teen suspected in school shooting that killed one

A teenager described as an "outcast" is suspected of opening fire on his classmates Monday at an Ohio high school, killing one student and leaving another brain dead, while wounding three others.

Witnesses say the gunman targeted a group of students in the school's cafeteria before reportedly being chased from the building by a teacher and apprehended by authorities about a half a mile away from Chardon High

A lawyer for the suspect's family has identified him to a Cleveland television station as T.J. Lane and said Lane's family is mourning "this terrible loss for their community."
Lawyer Robert Farinacci says Lane's family is trying to understand how the tragedy happened.
In a statement issued to WKYC-TV in Cleveland Monday night, Farinacci said the family of Lane offered "their most heartfelt and sincere condolences" to the family of student Daniel Parmertor, who died in the shooting. Farinacci said the family is praying for the other injured students from Chardon High School.
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner said Tuesday that 17-year-old victim Russell King Jr., who was airlifted to MetroHealth Medical Center, was pronounced brain dead.
Police have not released the alleged shooter's name because he has not been charged yet.
Farinacci said Lane "pretty much sticks to himself but does have some friends and has never been in trouble over anything that we know about."
Fifteen-year-old Danny Komertz, who witnessed the shooting, said Lane was known as an outcast who had apparently been bullied. But others disputed that.
"Even though he was quiet, he still had friends," said Tyler Lillash, 16. "He was not bullied."
An education official said late Monday the suspected shooter is a student at nearby Lake Academy, not Chardon High.

Brian Bontempo declined to answer any more questions about the student. Bontempo is the superintendent of the Lake County Educational Service Center, which operates the academy.
The alternative school in Willoughby serves 7th through 12th grades. Students may have been referred to the school because of academic or behavioral problems.
Law enforcement officials described the suspect as a "victim of bullying" and an "outcast." FBI officials would not comment on a motive.

Parmertor's family released a statement Monday through MetroHealth System spokeswoman Shannon Mortland that said: "We are shocked by this senseless tragedy. Danny was a bright young boy who had a bright future ahead of him. The family is torn by this loss. We ask that you respect our privacy during this difficult time."

Joe Bergant, superintendent of schools in Chardon, a town of about 5,100 people, said school was canceled Tuesday and grief counselors would be available to students and families.
"If you haven't hugged or kissed your kid in the last couple of days, take that time," he said.
Nate Mueller, a high school junior who was hit in the right ear, told the newspaper that he and his friends were sitting in the cafeteria when the shooter approached them at around 7:30 a.m.
Mueller said he turned around after hearing a gunshot behind him and was struck on his ear, the newspaper reported.
"My friends were crawling on the floor, and one of my friends was bent over the table, and he was shot," he told the newspaper. "It was almost like a firecracker went off. I turned around and saw him standing with a gun and I saw him take a shot."

Another witness, freshman Danny Komertz, said he was just about to leave for his first-period health class when he heard a loud popping sound and then saw the gunman open fire.
The 15-year-old Komertz says that there were at least 100 students in the cafeteria at the time and that most fled immediately as shots were fired.
He said one student who authorities say was killed was trying to get under a table to protect himself and shield his face.
Teacher Joe Ricci had just begun class when he heard shots and slammed the door to his classroom, yelling, "Lock down!" to students, according to Karli Sensibello, a student whose sister was in Ricci's classroom.
A few minutes later, Ricci heard a student moaning outside, opened the door and pulled in student Nick Walczak who had been shot several times, Sensibello said in an email. Ricci comforted Walczak and let him use his cellphone to call his girlfriend and parents, Sensibello said. She said her sister was too upset to talk.

Student Heather Ziska, who was just feet away when the gunman opened fire, said a normal morning was interrupted by strange sounds in a hallway, then the sight of the gunman beginning to shoot.
The 17-year-old junior said she and other students began hearing popping noises in a nearby hallway. Ziska said she then saw a boy with a gun who she recognized as a fellow student come into the cafeteria and start shooting.

She said she and several others immediately ran outside, while other friends ran into a middle school and others locked themselves in a teachers' lounge.
The wounded students were reportedly airlifted to local hospitals.
The 1,100-student high school is about 30 miles east of Cleveland.