On Thursday, November 14th at around 7:30 AM, Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, California was disrupted by 16-year-old shooter Nathaniel Tennosuke Berhow, who shot and killed two young classmates and injured three before fatally shooting himself. Police officials were able to retrieve the 45-caliber semiautomatic handgun that produced the shooting, but could not locate a serial number to see if the gun was registered. Officials believe the gun Berhow used was a “ghost weapon”, meaning that the gun was assembled by Berhow and could have been purchased at a gunshow or online in multiple parts. These guns are easier to have access to and even have YouTube videos posted with directions on how to construct “ghost weapons”. Police learned of this after they conducted a search of Berhow’s home and found several more guns. After further investigation, it is unclear if Berhow had any relationship to the two victims killed.
Dominic Micheal Blackwell, 14 and Gracie Anne Muehlberger, 15 were the only victims of the shooting. Families and friends of the victims started GoFundMe pages in order to help the families with funeral arrangements. In just a few days, both pages raised thousands of dollars and are still receiving donations. Students of Saugus High School and members of the community have placed cards, flowers, balloons, and presents in remembrance of the victims outside of the school. The school held a vigil on Sunday as well. School was cancelled since the shooting and is said to resume on December 2nd, after the school’s Thanksgiving break.