Gun school students suspended 'for own safety'

Four students who did not report a teenager's threats to shoot classmates have been barred from campus for the rest of the school year for their own safety.

Granger Ward, an education chief in Santee, a suburb of San Diego, California, said it was not a punitive action.

Police are also investigating whether others may have heard 15-year-old Charles Andrew "Andy" Williams describe his plans before he allegedly opened fire at Santana High School, killing two and wounding 13.

Four students remain in hospital.

Mr Ward said: "There have been comments made that raised my level of concern about their safety. My job is to be concerned about all the students' safety."

He said the district authority was helping find alternative schools for the four students.

At least one Santana student also received an anonymous e-mail threatening to finish what Williams allegedly started, Mr Ward said.