WA Premier Mark McGowan says it was lucky no one was killed when shots were fired at a Perth school yesterday, as police released dramatic footage of the aftermath of the incident taken from officers' body-worn cameras.
A 15-year-old boy was arrested at the scene, and the police vision shows the moment officers pushed the boy to the ground and handcuffed him as he lay on his stomach.
The teenager allegedly fired three shots at Atlantis Beach Baptist College just before midday on Wednesday, and he remains in police custody, as detectives try to piece together what happened.
Police allege he took two high-powered rifles from his home and went to the college, about 60 kilometres north of Perth's city centre.
The vision shows police running to a black four-wheel drive in the school car park, before an officer is heard to say the "firearms are secured in the vehicle".
The keys to the vehicle were still in the ignition, with what appeared to be a rifle bag on the passenger seat.
Ammunition surrounded the car on the ground of the car park and on the floor of the driver's seat.
The footage also showed bullet holes in the walls of a demountable classroom.
Visiting the school today, Mr McGowan described the shooting as "the sort of thing that you see on television in the United States".
"It was a very fraught situation. We are very lucky no one was killed, the bullets went close," Mr McGowan said.
"It's a terrible, terrible thing and it could have been so much worse."
The school was placed into lockdown and students and staff sheltered in classrooms, with several pupils including a 12-year-old ringing triple-0 and providing valuable information for first responders.
Mother 'frantic' after hearing news
Tammy Byrnes, who has two sons at the college in year three and four, told ABC Radio Perth she had been cleaning the house when she heard sirens "echoing" through the quiet suburb of Two Rocks yesterday.
Ms Byrnes initially thought there was a bushfire until she read news of the shooting in a parent group chat.
"An instant panic kicked in," she said.
"At the time I felt frantic, scared and worried, because no-one knew what the situation was at the time.
"I automatically tried to get through to the school but couldn't get through to them straightaway."
She said parents received a text message assuring them that everyone was safe and police were on-site, before being allowed to collect their children one by one.
Kids crying, sheltering under desks
One of her sons recalled students crying in the classroom when they went into lockdown.
"They heard the gunshots not knowing what they were at the time, and he was like 'oh we thought it was a drill'," she said.
"But the longer it went on the more they realised it wasn't a drill.
"There were kids in his class that started crying.
"They were allowed to hide under their jackets if they felt a bit scared, but they had to keep very quiet and stay away from the windows, so they were all under the desks.
"He went on to say that it got a bit scary, them not knowing and then listening for footsteps."
Ms Byrnes said parents were struggling to comprehend how an incident like this could happen in Perth, let alone in their "quiet" community of Two Rocks.
"Even when we saw and heard what was going on, I think it took a lot of us a long time to actually come to terms with it, because it's Australia, it's Perth and out of all places it's Two Rocks," she said.
"I don't think any of us could even fathom that this was happening in our little suburb, let alone to kids at our school or to our own children."
Police release audio from scene
Audio was also released by police taken from the body-worn cameras of officers who were first on the scene.
A female officer can be heard breathlessly informing the control room that officers had taken the 15-year-old into custody after securing the firearms inside his vehicle.
"We are with the vehicle, firearms are secured in the vehicle, one male in custody, the school is still in lockdown," the officer said.
The officer was then asked by the control room whether there was anyone else with the teen who could pose a threat.
"We are just ascertaining that now," she replied.
"We are going to approach the school now and just for your information, there are three rounds that have been fired from the vehicle, the shell casings are around the vehicle."
Premier praises response to 'traumatic' event
The WA premier thanked the staff and students for their "calmness under pressure" and said the school practised lockdown protocols twice a year.
"Can I congratulate all of them on what they did yesterday, obviously it was traumatic and it'll no doubt have some lasting impacts on some of the people involved," Mr McGowan said.
Mr McGowan said the government was moving quickly to reform gun laws in the state, which he said will be the toughest in the country.
"This is the sort of thing that you see on television in the United States," he said.
"It's not the sort of thing you expect or should expect to see happen here in Australia.
"It's one of those things that we all shake our heads about.
"There's 360,000 guns in Western Australia. That's way too many.
"We're going to deal with it and that means there'll be tougher controls, and there'll be fewer guns."
Strict firearm laws
Under Western Australian law, firearms and ammunition are required to be stored separately in approved locked containers.
Those containers then need to be specifically anchored and bolted to immovable structures from the inside.
Yesterday, WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said he believed the two rifles, allegedly seized from the vehicle the boy arrived at the school in, were licensed to the teenager's home address.
Legislation requires rifle owners to have a "genuine reason" and "genuine need" to possess that calibre of firearm.
Failing to comply with those store specifications can strip an owner of their licence.
Mr McGowan reinforced the importance of keeping licensed firearms secure.
"If people can get access to keys and get access to a gun safe, that is not good enough, you have a responsibility," he said.
Commissioner 'shocked' by incident
WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch yesterday expressed his deep shock at the incident, which he said was unlike anything he had ever experienced in his career.
"We will certainly look into every aspect of this investigation to understand how a 15-year-old, a 15-year-old person is allegedly in possession of two long-armed rifles and has shot into a school in these terrible circumstances.," he said.
"How does a 15-year-old get hold of two lethal weapons and fire them in a school area?"
He said Major Crime detectives would question the boy's parents and associates, as well as examining his electronic devices.
