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An 11 year old boy who may have been influenced by the video game Natural Selection and was armed with two firearms shot and killed a teacher in a school shooting at Cervantes College in Torreón, Mexico. The school is called the Cervantes de Torreón School or Colegio Cervantes de Torreón S.C.
The Columbine shooter Eric Harris wore a shirt with the words “Natural Selection” during that massacre. Authorities described the boy in the Mexican school shooting on January 10, 2020 as wearing a similar shirt.
The full name of the school is Cervantes del Bosque College in Coahuila State, Northern Mexico. Six people were injured and two are dead in the horrific shooting, according to CNN. One of the deceased was the shooter, who appears to have committed suicide. One of the wounded included a physical education teacher, El Pais reported.
The shooter was in the 6th grade. He has not been named. Extremely grisly photos circulating on social media show two people deceased in a hallways, their bodies twisted and bloodied. Heavy.com is choosing not to run them.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. The Shooter Was Armed With Two Guns & Told His Classmates ‘Today Is the Day’
⚠ ÚLTIMA HORA: Alumno ingresa con arma a la escuela en Torreón, #Coahuila y dispara en contra de sus compañeros; reportan al menos tres muertos y 4 heridos. @telediariomty.
The young boy perpetrated the school shooting with two guns, according to CNN, and he also died at the scene. He may have shot himself. Maurilio Ochoa, delegate of the State Prosecutor’s Office of Coahuila, said, according to El Pais: “We are already investigating, but not even the child’s father knows how he had access to the weapons.”
The private school has students from kindergarten through 12th grade. The boy is alleged to have told his classmates, “today is the day” before opening fire, according to BBC.
The boy asked for permission to go to the bathroom but took a long time so the teacher went to find him, at which point he opened fire, BBC reported. One weapon was described as high-caliber, and the other was low-caliber, according to Mileniao.
Mileio.com reported that the boy asked to change his pants, quoting a representative of the attorney general as saying, “He asked for permission to change his pants and as it took him, the teacher went to look for him, asked about the weapons and that’s where the problem begins.”
2. The Preteen Gunman Was Influenced by the Game Natural Selection & Wore a Shirt With Those Words On It, Authorities Said
Un videojuego de armas habría influenciado al menor a realizar el ataque en el colegio de #Torreón, también se reveló que bajo el uniforme portaba una playera con la frase ‘Natural Selection’, informa el gobernador de #Coahuila. t.co/VqfRG4rTSr
According to Milenio, Governor Miguel Ángel Riquelme said the boy “was influenced by the Natural Selection video game” to commit the school shooting.
“Apparently, the child, influenced by a video game called Natural Selection, even the child’s shirt at the bottom brings the name of the game, influences the child” to commit the shooting, he said, per Milenio. El Pais further reported that, according to authorities, “they are gathering details of the family environment, but has said that the first inquiries show that the student was very fond of video games and are investigating their influence on the attack.”
Así se encuentra la salida del Colegio Cervantes en Torreón, un alumno habría matado a tiros a una maestra y a un compañero.
Video: Roberto Rodríguez Hernández
“I took a look at Natural Selection: it is a game that gives a very clear simulation of the handling of high caliber weapons,” added Riquelme, according to El Pais. “The unfortunate facts throw a specific psychological profile of the child, which will have to be resolved in the inquiries.”
Riquelme said wora t-shirt with the name of the the video game Natural Selection during the attack.
Eric Harris, one of the two gunmen at Columbine High School, wore a Natural Selection T-shirt during that shooting. Harris’s interest in the term Natural Selection has been emulated by other aspiring school shooters. A Crimean school shooter who killed 19 people in 2018 was wearing a similar shirt.
“He had mentioned the video game, which I think he tried to recreate today,” the governor said during a news conference. According to the video game’s website, Natural Selection 2 is “an immersive, multiplayer shooter that pits aliens against humans in a strategic and action-packed struggle for survival. It seamlessly combines a shooter/FPS gameplay with a strategy (RTS) game.”
3. The Teacher Maria Assaf Medina Died in the Attack
The teacher who was slain in the attack was 50 years old, according to BBC.
Maria Assaf Medina was the deceased victim’s name.
School shootings in Mexico are rare; there was another one in 2017 by a high school student of the American College in Monterrey in which a teacher and the shooter died, according to El Sol de Mexico.
One of the wounded at Colegio Cervantes was a 7 year old boy shot in the abdomen, according to Noticias del sol la Laguna.
4. The School Expressed Its Sadness & Promised to Instill ‘Ethical Human Values’ in Its Students
In a statement on its Facebook page, the school wrote, “With great regret we express our sadness to the community about the terrible tragedy we are experiencing today…We never imagined that a situation like this could happen in our society.” In its statement, though, the school said, “In this event, five students and one teacher were injured. Unfortunately, one teacher and one student died.”
“As it is our responsibility, in the school we will continue working with the students and teachers to instill the ethical human and academic values that allow us to formerly better men and women for our society,” the school’s statement continued.
“We hope that you will accompany us with your prayers…for those who unfortunately already died as well as for the health of the victims and the affected families,” the statement continued. “We make vows so that we will never again be able to repeat such an incident in our community.”
5. The Student Had Good Grades But Lived With His Grandparents
NACIONAL
Alumno de 12 años ingresa con pistola a Colegio Cervantes, ubicado en Torreón, Coahuila, ejecuta a su maestra y también mata a 4 de sus compañeros, tras perpetrar su acción, el autor material se suicida.
Making the shooting even more puzzling, the shooter was a good student. He “had good grades and was outstanding,” according to those who knew them, El Sol de Mexico reported.
The boy had suffered loss in his life. According to ABC 7, the shooter lived with his grandparents since his mother died some years before. He didn’t have behavioral problems.
The school already participated in a safe backpack program in which students’ backpacks are searched when they come to school, the television station reported.