Students treated at LA County USC Medical Center in stable condition after shooting

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (FOX 11) - When the trauma team at LA County USC Medical Center got word that four shooting victims were coming from Castro Middle School to their trauma center, they were ready.

And the fast work can make all the difference!

During an afternoon news conference at the hospital, doctors addressed questions about the young victims. Paramedics brought four students to the hospital. Two had graze wounds, who were treated and released.

The other two were more serious, a 15-year-old girl whose right wrist was fractured from a gunshot wound and a 15-year old-boy who was shot in the head.

Here is some of the conversation:

Dr. Carl Chudnofsky/Chair of Emergency Medicine: "He was struck in the left temple area. He came in he was initially awake and alert and answering questions, but his condition did start to deteriorate somewhat… so, he was intubated after his arrival."

Hal Eisner: "Are things still a little dicey? Could things still go south or sideways?"

Dr. Adler Salazar/Pediatric ICU Attending Physician: "Yes… and this is the reason this particular patient is in our pediatric intensive care unit. He is requiring multi-disciplinary care with multiple sub specialists, nurses, doctors, respiratory therapists… it's a big team effort. A lot can happen in the first 24 hours but at this time the prognosis is looking very well."

Hal Eisner: "The children that were shot they have to live with this trauma for the rest of their lives. How do you deal with them when they're freshly injured from the shooting?"

Inez English/Social Worker: "Mainly we first let them stabilize and digest that they're going to be okay medically and then we just start working with them around their fears in a crisis manner dealing with the trauma and what happens with going back to the school."

Hal Eisner: "Will they need longterm counseling?"

Inez English: "Some do need longterm, others they digest it. Unfortunately, we're living in a day when our children now see more shootings and deaths than we ever did in my lifetime and it becomes almost a norm and that's unfortunate for society because our children now can pretty much be afraid to go to school and get an education because so many shootings are taking place."

Dr. Brad Spellberg: "Its very disappointing when these events happen but these events are why we exist and why we have these phenomenal care teams available. And, so our thoughts are with our young patients and their families."