5:00 p.m. ET
A 911 recording has surfaced of a call that was made from the school. In it, a student says, “I’m at Madison High School. There’s a shooting. He’s got a gun and he started shooting people. He just pulled out his gun and started shooting.”
The male caller identified the suspect as Austin Hancock.
4:05 p.m. ET
The shooter has been identified as James Austin Hancock, 14, according to Sheriff Richard Jones.
Hancock is charged with two counts of attempted murder and two counts felonious assault, inducing panic and making terrorist threats.
Hancock is currently being held in juvenile detention and has been interviewed.
A school resource officer was in the cafeteria minutes before the shooting and returned to the cafeteria moments after the shots were fired, Jones said.
Hancock ran out of the school after the shooting and was arrested on a hill on school property shortly following the shooting when a K-9 unit located him.
The school was searched following the shooting, officials said.
Deputies are still working to find out how Hancock obtained the gun used in the crime, Jones said.
Investigators believe Hancock had the weapon in the school throughout the morning.
Jones said the gun was a semi-automatic weapon that appeared to be a .380 caliber handgun.
Schools near and around Madison Local Schools also were on lockdown following the incident, according to Jones.
Jones said there was only one shooter.
Federal, state and local officials all have responded to the scene, according to Jones.
Deputies have not yet identified a motive for the shooting.
3:04 p.m. ET
Dr. Peter Ekeh, a physician at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio, provided updates on the victims.
Some of the victims are awake and alert. One sustained multiple wounds.
Some suffered injuries to their thighs, backsides and upper extremities.
All are expected to recover, Ekeh said.
2:44 p.m. ET
According to Butler County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser, the 14-year-old accused for firing the shots today at Madison Local Schools has been charged with attempted felony murder in Butler County Juvenile Court.
Gmoser said they are continuing discussions about circumstances. It is not yet known if the case will stay in juvenile court.
2:40 p.m. ET
The two victims shot and two others injured have been identified.
Cameron Smith, 15, and Cooper Caffrey, 14, suffered gunshot wounds, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Brant Murray, 15, and Katherine Douchette, 14, suffered injuries possibly from shrapnel, Sheriff Richard Jones said.
1:48 p.m. ET
A 14-year-old student at Madison High School is in custody and being questioned in connection to the shooting at Madison High School this morning, according to Sheriff Jones.
Jones said the shooting happened inside the cafeteria of the high school and there were additional students in the cafeteria in addition to those injured.
Jones said a .38 caliber handgun was used. He added that deputies have recovered the weapon believed to have been used in the shooting.
Deputies said there are a lot of witnesses that still need to be interviewed.
1:03 p.m. ET
Chief Deputy Anthony Dwyer said of the four individuals that were injured in this shooting, two students were shot and two were hit by shrapnel.
He said a single shooter entered and fired a handgun in the lunch room.
“One individual entered the school and began firing,” Dwyer said.
The two people shot were flown to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio. The two others were taken by medics to hospitals.
Deputies believe the suspect is student-aged, however it’s unclear if it is a student from the school, Dwyer said.
Chief Deputy Mike Craft confirmed the shooter is a male, and he left the school and ran into nearby fields after the shooting. He was apprehended in the woods by a K-9 unit.
Ken Gairland, of Madison Township, has four sons -- two in high school, two in elementary -- and is also a Boy Scout leader in the district. He said he was working construction in Northern Kentucky when he got a call from his ex-wife about the shooting.
“As soon as I heard there was an active shooter at the school, I jumped in my truck and (drove) an hour and 10 minutes. It took 25-30 minutes to walk up the hill," Gairland said of approaching the scene.
He said it was very hard to concentrate driving up to the scene. Right now he’s “in disbelief” that a shooting like this happened in a community so small.
Gairland said he does have guns in the house, but has talked to his kids about gun safety.
“There is no excuse” for this type of violence, he said, adding that people don’t think about the consequences of their actions.
“You always think it won’t happen to you, and this is an eye-opener,” Gairland said, when asked what went through his mind.
12:47 p.m. ET
Madison Local Schools has received clearance from the Butler County Sheriff’s Office to allow students at the junior and senior high schools to dismiss.
“Students at the MJSHS are currently dismissing as quickly as possible for buses. Student drivers will also be dismissed. Madison Elementary School students will be dismissed approximately one hour early by bus,” the district posted on Facebook.
12:35 p.m. ET
Families of the injured students have been notified. Parents are now able to pick up their high school students.
The Madison school district has over 1,500 students served by approximately 100 teachers, eight administrators and support staff in one connected building including the Madison Elementary School and Madison Jr./Sr. High School.
12:18 p.m. ET
Butler County sheriff’s Chief Deputy Mike Craft addressed a group of about 70 parents in the parking lot of a nearby Sonoco gas station at about 12:10 p.m. He confirmed that three students were shot and injured. He does not think the injuries are life-threatening.
Craft said the shooter has been taken into custody. Craft said he believes there is no more chance of danger at this time. He said parents will be allowed to pick up their students after 1 p.m. but first law enforcement is still sweeping the school and securing the grounds.
12:06 p.m. ET
Three students at Ohio's Madison High School suffered non-life-threatening injuries Monday at the school, officials said.
All students are safe, the school reported.
"At this time we plan to dismiss early, however, we cannot do this without your cooperation," Madison Local Schools wrote on Facebook. "The Butler County Sheriff's Office has asked that everyone stay back until they can clear the scene."
11:56 a.m. ET
Eight sheriff's deputies are posted on a closed Ohio highway, and one deputy in assault gear is holding an assault rifle.
At least 30 cars are parked nearby at a church, most of them concerned parents and residents. Parents are crying and on cellphones trying to get information.
CareFlight, an air medical transportation service, is getting ready to land.
Middletown Police Chief Rodney Muterspaw is on the scene.
11:43 a.m. ET
At least two people have been shot and two medical helicopters have been requested at the scene.
A suspect is in custody, police said.
Madison, Middletown and Edgewood high schools are on lockdown after a reported shooting at Madison High School.
Butler County sheriff’s deputies and Middletown police are investigating a shooting at Madison High School in Butler County.
There is a report of at least two shooting victims, and two medical helicopters and two medic units have been requested at the school.
The Journal-News has reporters and photographers en route to the scene. This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
About the Author
