Soon, the two arrived at the hospital.
Two injured parties were staying on the same floor, one in room 406, and the other in room 409.
Luke got off the elevator and found room 406 first.
"Come in," a man's voice came from inside.
Luke pushed the door open and walked in; a young Caucasian man was sitting on the hospital bed, holding a book in his hands.
"Are you Student Council member Herman Vied?"
"Yes, what can I do for you?"
Marcus showed his badge, "I'm Detective Marcus, and this is Detective Chief Luke. We'd like to take a statement from you."
Herman Vied put down his book and pointed to the chair opposite him, "No problem, please take a seat."
Luke sized him up, "Are you of age?"
"Give me a precise answer."
"Actually, it's three months shy."
"Do you need a guardian present?"
"Nono, there's absolutely no need for that. My physiological age might not be there, but mentally I'm mature. I can talk on my own. You can ask me directly."
"I like straightforward people like you," Luke smiled, and asked formally, "Where were you when the shooting happened?"
"The Music Building."
"What were you doing in the Music Building at the time?"
"Practicing the violin."
"When did the shooting occur?"
"Around three o'clock?"
"Can you be more specific?"
"It should have been around half past three."
"What were you doing at that time?"
"I was helping other students."
"What do you mean by that?"
Herman Vied answered, "Because there had been a shooting in another building earlier, lots of students were terrified. As a member of the Student Council, it was my duty to help them. I couldn't help everyone, but I did what I could, and my conscience is clear."
"Well done," Luke offered a word of encouragement, "Did you see the assailant?"
"Of course, he was wearing a clown mask with a red nose, grey hoodie with the hood up, and he was holding a handgun. The situation was really scary, to be honest, I was scared too, especially when the gunfire started... I really don't want to recall it."
Luke glanced at his notebook, "In addition to you, were there other people in the Music Building who were shot? Do you know?"
"I'm aware, and it's such a pity."
"Do you know the person who was shot?"
"Yes, Lev Kaufte, he was a running back on the football team, we were on good terms, and I often went to see his football games. It's a real pity. I wanted to rescue him, but I couldn't make it."
"Were you there when he got shot?"
"Yes, I saw the gunman chasing him. He was terrified, running and calling for help.
I wanted to save him, to draw the gunman's attention away.
But I was too slow, and the gunman hit me in the shoulder.
"Oh my God, the thing I feared the most still happened. I really wanted to help him, I did my best. But I didn't have a gun… there was nothing I could do."
"How many gunmen were there?"
"Did you see the second gunman?"
"No, but I could hear that the two gunshots were different. It was because there were two gunmen that I didn't dare go check on Lev Kaufte. When the medical staff arrived, I asked them to attend to Lev first, but unfortunately...," Herman Vied choked up, his tone filled with sorrow,
"Do you know why the killer was murdering people?"
Luke said, "Sorry, the case is still under investigation and we can't disclose any details to the public yet."
"I understand," Herman sighed, "If you have anything else you want to know, just ask, I'll tell you everything."
"Do you remember what kind of gun the assailant used?"
"Do you know the brand and model?"
Herman Vied shook his head, "I'm not very knowledgeable about those things."
Luke continued, "There was another shooting victim in the music building, Holip Harding, do you know him?"
"I know of him, he's the center of the football team, Black, very strong. I really enjoyed watching him play, very imposing. But we didn't talk much."
"Were you present when he was shot?"
"No, it might have happened after I was injured."
Luke nodded, "If you saw the shooter again, could you recognize him?"
Herman Vied thought for a moment and shook his head, "That's difficult, he was wearing a mask, I couldn't see his face at all, and he had a gun in his hand, to be honest… I was a bit panicked."
Little Black stretched out his right fist, "Hey man, you did great, more than ninety-nine percent of the people in this school."
"Thanks." Herman Vied forced a smile and bumped fists.
Luke left a business card, "Call me if you remember any new clues."
"I will." Herman Vied saw the two out of the hospital room.
Little Black nodded, approvingly, "I guy, a brave young man, very much like me in high school."
Luke was somewhat amused, "Is that a compliment or an insult?"
The two approached room 409 and knocked on the door, "Knock knock..."
This time a hoarse male voice said, "Come in."
Luke pushed the door open and went in, where a Black, husky young man stood beside the window, half a head taller than Luke, at least 190 cm tall, very muscular, with his left arm wrapped in a bandage.
"Are you Holip Harding?"
"I'm Detective Chief Luke, I want to take your statement."
"Are you eighteen yet?"
"Do you need a guardian present?"
"No need, have you caught the killer who killed Lev yet?" Holip asked with concern.
"Not yet, were you close with him?"
"We were on the same football team, trained together all the time, he was a good man, he shouldn't have been killed." Holip Harding's voice choked up.
"Were you there when Lev was shot?"
"I saw it with my own eyes, I'll never forget it for the rest of my life, he was a hero, he sacrificed himself to protect other students.
He should always be remembered."
"You said he sacrificed himself protecting students? Protecting who?"
"I know him… his name… I can't remember. He's staying in the room next door, you can ask him."
"Yes, Lev was trying to save him."
Little Black was stunned, the testimonies differed, "Are you sure you aren't mistaken?"
Holip Harding said, "I remember clearly, we heard gunshots from the music building, Herman was calling for help.
They were on good terms, Lev was ready to rescue him. I followed them as well.
We drew the gunman's attention so Herman could escape successfully."
Little Black expressed doubt, "Did you guys have guns?"
"Then how did you plan to rescue him?"
"We are the elite of the football team, the bravest and strongest in the whole school, if we don't dare, no one dares.
Then the school would be doomed.
We are fearless, this is our school, not the gunman's."
After Holip finished, he showed a displeased expression, "What's with that look? Are you questioning us? Do you think we are idiots?
NO, we are not fools.
We knew the other party had guns, we had a plan, we were confident of success.
I was responsible for drawing his attention, Lev was to sneak attack from behind, we were about to make our move when there was an unexpected turn, another gunman appeared.
It totally disrupted our plan, I was shot, and Lev…