The suspect has been taken into custody, according to Newport News police, and two students who were shot at Heritage High School on Monday are expected to recover.

Both victims, according to Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew, were 17 years old. A girl was shot in the lower leg and a boy was shot in the side of the face. Drew stated that neither of the two victims’ injuries appeared to be life-threatening.

“Reports I just got from the hospital is that neither [wound] is considered life-threatening, and I thank God for that. That is the most important thing,” Drew said. He was about to leave for the hospital to speak with the victims.

At around 2:40 p.m. Drew stated that the suspect, a boy, was apprehended with the assistance of the community. He couldn’t say who he was or where he was arrested, but he did say he was arrested away from the school and that a weapon was recovered. It’s still questionable how the suspect bought the gun into the school in the first place.

Drew previously stated that information indicates that the victims and suspect knew each other, and that the shooter did not appear to be looking to shoot others.

The school was evacuated, and two other people were injured in non-gunshot wounds. One was suffering from asthma, while another had broken or sprained their arm.

“We do believe that they knew each other … I don’t believe that this is an individual that is searching the community to hurt members,” Drew said. He said he couldn’t speculate further.

Police said rumours about active shooters at other schools were false.

Students were evacuated and taken to the school’s tennis courts, where their parents could meet them. Following the closure of Huntington Middle School, the school now serves 6th and 7th grade students.

Lockdown was also imposed on nearby Achievable Dream Middle and High Schools.

The call came in at 11:38 a.m., and there was still a large police presence in the area Monday afternoon. The FBI confirmed that it is assisting Newport News police and that evidence has been gathered inside the school.

Local therapists and church pastors told 10 On Your Side that they rushed to campus after hearing what had happened and provided on-site support to students and their parents.

“Whenever there’s a situation like this anywhere in the community, we pastors band together to give spiritual support and to gather information because there’s so many rumors that are already out,” said Pastor Joshua King of Zion Baptist Church.

In the aftermath of Monday’s traumatic event, the school division also urged students and staff to contact a member of the school support team if they needed assistance.

A crowd had also started gathering around Riverside Regional Medical Center in the early afternoon, around 1:45 p.m. The two shot 17-year-olds were transported to that hospital.

Several Virginia lawmakers and others issued statements in the aftermath of Monday’s shooting.

Newport News Public Schools have cancelled all after-school activities for Monday at all city schools.

The school division announced Monday night that all students and staff would be dismissed from Heritage High School and Huntington Middle School.

Denbigh High School students and staff reported seeing some threatening comments on social media, prompting the school division to request additional police presence for Tuesday’s start, the Denbigh principal confirmed Monday night.