KUALA LUMPUR: In the wake of the tragic mass shooting in a high school in California yesterday, Kyla Massie, a former member of K-Pop group Pristin, took to social media to express her sorrow and also confirmed that she was safe.
According to Koreaboo, the 17-year-old ex-idol, who is born to an American father and Korean mother, wrote: "My school had a school shooter today. The one thing I was most afraid of when I went back to public school happened. I am okay and all of my friends are safe. My heart goes out to all of the injured students. I pray that they are safe."
Further news reports from American media outlets confirmed that the shooting took place at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, California, which is about 64 kilometres north of Los Angeles.
Students were seen being led away from the school in a single file, flanked by armed police officers.
Apparently, the gunman was a 16-year-old student who pulled a 45-caliber semi-automatic pistol from his backpack and shot five students, killing two yesterday morning.
The police said that the incident was captured on video and that the gunman is in critical condition after shooting himself in the head.
Although his identity has not been released, the authorities added that he was a student at the school and that Thursday was his birthday.
The two killed were a 16-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy, while the other three injured students were a 14-year-old girl, a 15-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy.
Pristin was a 10-member K-Pop girl group formed by Pledis Entertainment in 2016.
Known for writing and composing its own music, such as the hit single Wee Woo, the group disbanded six months ago.