After firing the shots, the boy fled the dance hall until the owner caught up with him and disarmed him in a nearby field, police said. The suspect, an eighth grade student at J.W. Parker Middle School, is now in custody and state police are preparing a murder charge against him.
Officials have yet to release the boy's name.
About 250 students were at the dance at the time of the shooting. About 10 or 12 of us then piled into a closet. The victim was identified as John Gillette, an eighth grade science teacher who was chaperoning. Students in suits and satin dresses gathered in the cold outside after the shooting. Zaleski had no comment on the report, saying the shooting was under investigation.