VIRGINIA BEACH, DEC. 16 -- A student opened fire with a pistol in a Christian school here today, killing one teacher and wounding another before his gun jammed as he shot into a classroom full of children.
The youth, who had attended classes at the Atlantic Shores Christian School earlier in the day, was tackled and disarmed.
"If his gun hadn't jammed, we would have had an even worse fiasco," said Virginia Beach police spokesman Lewis Thurston.
No students were injured in the incident, police said.
Tonight the juvenile, believed to be 15 years old, was charged with first-degree murder, malicious assault, four counts of attempted murder and several firearms violations.
Authorities said they had no motive for the shootings, which occurred about 10:45 a.m.
Later in the day, firefighters found three potentially explosive molotov cocktails in a school locker, but there was no information about who had put them there. The school had been cleared of students earlier in the day, and the devices were removed without incident.
The teacher killed in the shooting was identified as Karen Farley of Virginia Beach. She died of multiple gunshot wounds, police said.
The other teacher, Sam Marino, 37, underwent surgery for a bullet wound in the chest and was listed in serious but stable condition.
The youth shot randomly, roaming among the classrooms, which are housed in four portable buildings. He shot Farley and Marino in separate classrooms that had no students in them, police said.
The youth then walked into a third classroom filled with students and began to shoot.
"Several shots were fired in that classroom, and at that time the weapon jammed, thus probably saving numerous lives," Thurston said.
Counselors were brought into the school to help the children deal with the shooting. About 500 students in kindergarten through 12th grade attend Atlantic Shores.
Many of the students could be seen crying outside school as they waited for parents to pick them up and take them home.