The three teens who were gunned down by a fellow student at their Michigan high school were identified Tuesday night — as authorities revealed the gunman’s father purchased the weapon just four days before the rampage.
Among the victims in the horrific shooting was Tate Myre, a 16-year-old “standout” football player at Oxford High School who died from his wounds on the way to the hospital in the back of a patrol car.
The two other victims were Hana St. Juliana, 14, and Madisyn Baldwin, 17, according to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.
“This kind of thing can happen anywhere and sadly it happened even in a sweet, quiet community like Oxford,” Oakland County Sheriff Michael J. Bouchard said at a Tuesday night press briefing.
The 15-year-old suspect, a sophomore at the school, also wounded seven other students, ranging in age from 14 to 17, and a 47-year-old teacher, authorities said.
Three of the injured students — a 15-year-old boy and two girls, 14 and 17 — are in critical condition.
The shooter was uninjured and was taken into custody in the hallway of the school by deputies who arrived within 2 to 3 minutes of the first 911 call reporting the gunfire.
Myre, a junior running back and middle linebacker on the football squad, was described by a fellow Michigan high school football player as a beloved athlete in the area.
“He was a standout player. He inspired many people and was loved by many people,” Matt Johnson, 17, told The Post.
Johnson, who attends a different high school and has played against Myre, said he was in “utter shock” when he learned of the tragedy earlier Tuesday.
“There’s just no words to describe it. I just can’t believe stuff like this happens and stuff like this is allowed to happen.”
Baldwin, the oldest of three siblings, was a senior who had already been accepted to several colleges, her family told ClickOnDetroit.
The teen suspected of carrying out the shocking attack was in police custody at a juvenile detention center and on suicide watch, authorities said.
He has retained a lawyer at the direction of his parents and has refused to speak with investigators, Bouchard said Tuesday night.
Bouchard said the weapon used in the shooting was a 9mm Sig Sauer pistol that was purchased by the boy’s father on Nov. 26.
Investigators believe the shooter fired off at least 12 shots and had taken three 15-round magazines with him to school, concealing the weapon and ammunition in a bag that was later found by canine units.
A search warrant was executed at the teen’s home and authorities retrieved several items, including the boy’s phone, Bouchard said.
Deputies will present the case to the local prosecutor, who will decide on charges, according to Bouchard.
A motive in the shooting is still unclear.
Oakland County Undersheriff Michael McCabe stressed at an earlier briefing that online conspiracy theories and rumors, including claims that the attack had been planned, were unconfirmed.
Bouchard touched on the same topic Tuesday night, saying that “none” of the rumors were reported to police before today.
Oxford High, which has about 1,800 students, had been targeted in a bizarre vandalism incident a few weeks ago when someone tossed a deer head from the school’s roof and splashed red paint on some of its windows.
The school acknowledged in a later letter to parents that ensuing rumors might be of “concern’’ to them.
McCabe said the vandalism was “absolutely unrelated’’ to Tuesday’s carnage.
