NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — Months after a shooting rocked a Newport News high school community, surveillance video from inside the building paints a clearer picture of what happened inside Heritage High School when shots rang out.
15-year-old Jacari Taylor pleaded guilty on April 29 to malicious wounding, felony use of a firearm, possessing a firearm on school property and discharging a firearm on school property.
A new video obtained from Newport News Circuit Court shows the moments gunshots rang out, sending students running in all directions.
Body camera video shows the moments Newport News Police officers sprinted inside Heritage High School last September.
Inside, they found chaos, lots of emotion and two students suffering from gunshot wounds. Luckily those two students survived and have been released from the hospital.
Surveillance video from inside the school shows a packed hallway with many students heading to their next class after lunch.
Disclaimer: The video you’re about to watch could be graphic and disturbing to some viewers. That said, it’s important to acknowledge that both victims shot in did survive and have recovered from their injuries.
As students keep walking, some students can be seen ducking in the back middle part of your screen. Immediately, the crowd breaks apart and students begin running.
Then, two people push past each other to get out of the way. One person falls to the ground while another struggles to stand up.
Taylor then comes into frame pointing a firearm toward the two people as one tries to run away. One person falls to the ground, but then gets back up and runs away.
Again, the students hit by gunfire did survive. One suffered gunshot wounds to the head, leg and fingers. Another was hit as she was leaving the cafeteria.
Then the video shows Taylor running through the school, first trying to find a room to enter into, then continuing to run until he goes out a door of the school.
Taylor is due back in court for a sentencing hearing this August.
10 On Your Side spoke with the father of one of the victims who says his son has permanent injuries.
Taylor’s family declined to comment when he was in court to enter a guilty plea.
Correction: We initially reported two students were seen on the video where it shows people directly involved in the altercation that lead to the shooting when in fact, we’ve learned it was a teacher and a student seen in that specific video clip.
Continue to check WAVY.com for updates.