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Tuesday, November 10, 2026Nov 10

No diary, note, motive found in California school shooting

TV news reporters interview Ryan McCracken who lived next-door to the gunman who opened fire at Saugus High School on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2019 in Santa Clarita, Calif. (AP Photo by Christian Monterrosa)
TV news reporters interview Ryan McCracken who lived next-door to the gunman who opened fire at Saugus High School on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2019 in Santa Clarita, Calif. (AP Photo by Christian Monterrosa) TV news reporters interview Ryan McCracken who lived next-door to the gunman who opened fire at Saugus High School on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2019 in Santa Clarita, Calif. (AP Photo by Christian Monterrosa)

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (AP) – Investigators said Friday they have yet to find a diary, manifesto or note that would explain why a boy killed two students outside his Southern California high school on his 16th birthday.

No motive has been established in the Thursday morning shooting at Saugus High School in the Los Angeles suburb of Santa Clarita, said sheriff’s homicide Capt. Kent Wegener.

The teenager opened fire around the beginning of the school day, and authorities estimated he took just 16 seconds to pull out the weapon and shoot five classmates and then himself in a large central outdoor area.

Police said it was evident the teen planned the attack by the way he used the weapon and counted his rounds. The last bullet was fired into his head. He remained in critical condition Friday.

Two students died, two remain hospitalized and one was released from the hospital.