Timeline: Student dead in shooting at school

This story is a timeline of events in the shooting at Central High School.

5:18 p.m.

Superintendent Jim McIntyre announced in a press conference school will be back in session at Central High School on Friday. Any students who opt not to return to school will receive an excused absence.

McIntyre said the structure and support system of a school day and counseling resources being made available would help students recover.

McIntyre described the shooting as a tragic incident and an isolated incident.

He also noted it came at a hard time for the Knox County schools community at large, having lost student Eric Law earlier this week. Law died from a head injury sustained in an accident at school.

"As a parent, my heart goes out to the parents of the students we have lost this week," McIntyre said.

The schools plan an additional security presence at Central High School Friday, along with the counseling resources that will be made available.

As for long-term security plans, McIntyre said the schools would be reviewing policies and considering what changes might be made. He did say the school security plan had been executed virtually flawlessly.

He said the schools did have wand-style metal detectors available for certain high-profile events but that walk-through metal detectors were not in place at Central. He did not expect they would have made a difference.

"Would it have prevented a tragedy like today? Probably not," he said.

"If there's a specific individual who is set on perpetrating a crime, an act of violence against another individual, they're probably going to find a way to do it."

At this point, police are not releasing any information about a possible motive for the shooting.

Suspect Jamar Siler has been confirmed as a student at Central.

3:39 p.m.Jamar Siler has been charged with first-degree murder. He is set to return to court for trial Sept. 17. However, he is scheduled to be in court Aug. 28 for a decision on whether he will be tried as an adult. He is accused of fatally shooting Ryan McDonald in the chest.

The judge also revoked his probation and diversion from a prior offense; the nature of that offense is not yet known.

3:17 p.m.A detention hearing in juvenile court confirms the suspect in the Central High School shooting is 15-year-old Jamar Siler.

Family members in court have been identified as Siler's mother, grandmother, and legal guardian.

2:39 p.m.There is a detention hearing set for the shooting suspect at 3 p.m.

2:24 p.m.We're finding out more about victim Ryan McDonald. 10News reporter Emily Stroud sat down with McDonald's paternal grandmother and McDonald's father this afternoon.

Commenters on wbir.com and elsewhere have remarked on Ryan McDonald's appearance. His family said the young man had alopecia, which resulted in hair loss. His hair loss was not the result of chemotherapy or any sort of political statement, as has been speculated.

The McDonalds' father-son reunion has been cut tragically short. Joey McDonald got out of prison four days ago. He and his son Ryan had been reconnecting in person. They had been writing back and forth during Joey McDonald's incarceration.

Ryan lived with his paternal grandmother Genny Miller and his father in the Lonsdale community. Miller said Ryan had gotten in a bit of trouble last year in a fight with another student about a cell phone.

However, that fight didn't seem to be linked to his death. Miller and Mcdonald were both unaware of any problems at school that might have caused the incident.

Right now, the family is unsure how they will afford Ryan McDonald's burial. A memorial fund is being set up at Westview Wesleyan Church.

Both said Ryan McDonald was good kid.

1:49 p.m.The suspect in the shooting has now been transfered from the Knoxville Police Department HQ to the juvenile detention center. A petition against him is on its way to the court.

Charges against him are expected within the hour; at that point, it is expected the suspect's identity will be officially released.

12:38 p.m.One of the four witnesses to the shooting has now been allowed to return home.

Public Defender Mark Stephens is headed upstairs to talk with his client. Stephens previously spoke to the suspect shortly before heading to court for another client, church shooting suspect Jim David Adkisson. During the previous conversation, Stephens only advised the juvenile of his right to counsel.

12:19 p.m.Four witnesses to the shooting are being interviewed by Knoxville Police. Their families are waiting for them at Knoxville Police HQ.

12:12 p.m.Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale has issued a statement of sympathy and community support for the victim's family and friends.

--This morning, our community was shattered and our hearts broken. The thoughts and prayers of all Knox Countians are focused first on the student, families and staff of Central High School. Our hearts particularly go out to the family and friends of Ryan McDonald, the young victim of the shooting. Violence is never more hateful and shocking than when it invades our schools.

This shooting, which comes on the heels of the violence at Tennessee Valley Universalist Unitarian Church, tears at the hearts of all our citizens. As a community, we stand ready to do all we can to prevent this type of tragedy from ever occurring again.--

11:53 a.m.The suspect in this case is an already existing client of the Knox County Public Defender's Office, according to Public Defender Mark Stephens.

11:24 a.m.Halls High School and Halls Middle School are allowing parents to come and pick up their children for the day, if they wish. However, school has not been closed.

Gresham Middle School is continuing on its normal school day. Fountain City Elementary School is also continuing on its normal school day.

10News will carry a live update at noon.

11:10 a.m.There are few details at this point on the suspect in the Central High School shooting. Public Defender Mark Stephens was able to confirm only that he is representing a juvenile--he did not say whether the suspect was a current or former student at the school.

The juvenile was being interviewed by Knoxville Police and invoked his right to an attorney, saying no more.

According to Knoxville Police, the shooting occurred at 8:11 in the school's cafeteria. Police were on the scene at 8:13. A suspect was in custody by 8:17.

10:53 a.m.10News has learned the victim of this morning's shooting at Central High School is 15-year-old Ryan McDonald.

10:42 a.m.The suspect in the Central High School shooting will be represented by the office of Knox County Public Defender Mark Stephens.

Neither that suspect nor the victim have yet been identified.

10:12 a.m.Knoxville Police said the victim of this morning's shooting has died.

They also said the shooting was not random; instead, they do believe the victim was targeted specifically by the suspect.

Both the suspect and the weapon have been taken into custody.

9:49 a.m.Robin Murdoch on the scene of Central Baptist reports parents are now being cleared to return to Central High School.

Students are now being released from the school.

The suspect in the shooting has been taken to KPD for questioning. A weapon has been recovered.

9:42 a.m.Some but not all Knox County schools are on lockdown at this time.

9:30 a.m.Reports to 10News indicate there are other press outlets reporting parents are not to go to Central Baptist in Fountain City, but instead to Central High School.

That is not correct, according to KPD PIO Darrell DeBusk.

DeBusk said all parents were still being asked to go to Central Baptist Church in Fountain City.

9:03 a.m.

From KPD PIO Darrell DeBusk, live on the scene:

Students that need to meet up with their parents will be transported via bus to Central Baptist in Fountain City. Parents are asked to meet them there and not at the school. Central Baptist Church is located at Broadway and Gresham (688-2421).

The school remains locked down. Classrooms will be opened and released one at a time. Students driving will be checked and then allowed to drive themselves home.

One student has been hit. No word at this point on his condition. He has been taken to UT Medical Center for treatment.

The shooting happened in the cafeteria area of the school.

A suspect was taken into custody about 6 minutes later. There is no word at this point on whether that suspect was also a student.

The suspect was caught a short distance away on Doughty Drive.

School at Central is canceled for the day.

8:55 a.m.

Parents of Central High School students are being asked to congregate at Central Baptist in Fountain City, at the intersection of Broadway and Gresham Road.A suspect is now in custody.

8:50 a.m.Dozens of parents are pacing the sidewalks outside Central High School, seeking news of their children and whether they are safe.

At this point, law enforcement officers don't have a comprehensive rundown of where everyone is. There's also no word yet on how many shots were fired.

The road is shut down at Essary Road and Fay.

Knox County Sheriff J.J. Jones and Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale are both on the scene, along with numerous Knoxville Police and sheriff's office cruisers.

8:45 a.m.A caller to 10News, identified as a student named Taylor, said he was in the school when the shooting occurred. Just a minute afterward, Taylor said an announcement came over the PA, telling everyone to get to the nearest room and lock the doors.Taylor said he and several others remain locked in the choir room at this time.

ConfirmationThe Knoxville Fire Department is confirming a shooting at Central High School on Jacksboro Pike in Knoxville.

It happened just after 8 a.m.

There is no word at this point of injuries.

At least one person has been taken into custody. It is unknown at this point whether that person is considered a suspect or is merely being interviewed.

10News and WBIR.com will be following this story as it develops.