Bulverde school shooting: Teacher shot by student, student turned gun on himself, sheriff says

BULVERDE, Texas - A student at a Bulverde high school shot a teacher, then turned the gun on himself, says the Comal County Sheriff's Office.

What we know:

Deputies were dispatched to Mustang Vista near Hill Country College Prepatory High School following reports of gunfire.

A teacher was shot by a student and taken to a San Antonio hospital. There is no word on her condition.

The student involved, a 15-year-old boy, died at the scene. The sheriff said during a 3 p.m. press conference that investigators currently believe that the boy shot the teacher, then turned the gun on himself.

Hill County College Preparatory High School was placed on lockdown.

What they're saying:

Comal County Sheriff Mark Reynolds spoke at a 3 p.m. press conference from the sheriff's office headquarters in New Braunfels.

In the press conference, Reynolds spoke about the response from local, state and national law enforcement.

"I want to be very clear, this situation was contained very, very quickly," said Reynolds. "So immediately responding, deputy sheriffs with the Comal County Sheriff's Office. The [Bulverde] Police Department. I had phone calls from the Texas Rangers. There was a constable in the area. So there was a multiple unit response."

Reynolds also said he also received a call from the FBI and from U.S. Rep Chip Roy (R-TX), whose district includes Bulverde.

Reynolds did not offer much new information beyond what had already been released. He did share that the teenage shooter's parents and family had shown up to Bulverde Middle School to pick him up with other students' parents and family.

He also said that law enforcement believes that after he shot the teacher, the student turned the gun on himself.

Texas Rangers are helping with the investigation.

Watch the full press conference below:

HCCPHS Principal Julie Wiley shared a message about the shooting on the school's social media, saying:

"Our hearts are with everyone impacted, especially that teacher, their family, and our school community. We know this has been a difficult day. I want to personally thank our local law enforcement officers, amazing staff, and district administrators for their swift response, professionalism and care of our students. We are deeply grateful to the staff at Bulverde Middle School for hosting our students and staff until they could be reconnected with their families."

What you can do:

Students were transported to Bulverde Middle School for reunification with parents. The middle school was placed on hold during this transition for parent reunification.

Bulverde Middle School is located at 29975 Wiley Road in Bulverde.

Parents will need the following for reunification: In order to pick up a student, parents and guardians MUST have a photo ID and be listed in Skyward as eligible to pick up the student. You will only be able to pick up your student.

Officials ask people to stay away from the area if you are not picking up a student.

The area needs to be clear as the investigation continues.

No one will be allowed back onto the HCCPHS campus for belongings or parked cars until the campus is released by law enforcement. 

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

What we don't know:

The teacher's status is currently unknown, and it is unknown what connection the student and the teacher had.

Investigators are also working to learn where the student got the gun as well as looking into the student's history and speaking with witnesses.

What's next:

Principal Wiley said to allow time for families and staff to process what happened, there will be no school on Tuesday, March 31.

Counselors will be available to students and families on Tuesday, March 31, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Mamman Family Public Library at 131 Bulverde Crossing.

Community reacts

Local perspective:

Shaun Telepak, who lives near the campus, says she noticed something was wrong and noticed helicopters circling in the normally quiet community.

"I walked outside and I saw the helicopter circling. And at the same time, I got a notification from an app called Nextdoor that there was a potential lockdown of the high school," said Telepak.

She says she grew concerned, especially with two children at nearby schools, and went to drive toward the area when she saw a heavy police presence at the college prep school.

"Which is a little concerning for me because I also have a sixth grader who's in the gifted and talented program at Smithson Valley Middle. So he would matriculate the right to that school that's right around the corner. So, it was a little disheartening to see that that would be happening at a school that my son could have potentially been at," said Telepak.

"It's the prep school, which is kind of concerning because those are supposed to be ‘the good kids’, you know, the kids that don't make trouble, the ones that are school-focused, like college prep," said Telepak.

Telepak says she had already had plans to leave the country because of events like these.

Monday's shooting reaffirmed her decision.

"We can't live in a place where gun violence is, and where I can hear about a school shooting and not cry and not have a feeling about it. I bought our one-way tickets to a small country in East Africa called Rwanda so that primarily so that my kids can be safe. They don't have school shootings. They don't have gun violence. They don't have these issues that we continuously have that we do nothing about on both sides of the aisle," said Telepak.