The 15-year-old suspect who police say killed three people and wounded eight in a shooting Tuesday at a Michigan high school used a gun purchased by his father only four days prior.

The suspected shooter at Oxford High School in suburban Detroit still had a loaded gun containing seven rounds when he was apprehended by police, the local sheriff said. Police identified the weapon as a 9mm Sig Sauer SP2022 pistol that the suspect's father purchased on Nov. 26.

"We might've been, if it's possible, in a worse situation," Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said during a press conference, as the suspect could have killed and injured more people with the remaining rounds if he hadn't been apprehended quickly.

Police cannot identify the 15-year-old male suspect, who is in custody at a juvenile detention facility, because he has not been charged as an adult, Bouchard said.

His parents have hired an attorney, according to authorities, and have not permitted the suspect to speak with police.

David Coulter, the Oakland County executive, said the suspect is on suicide watch.

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Hanna St. Julian, 14, Tate Myre, 16, and Madisyn Baldwin, 17, were killed in the shooting, according to officials. Among those injured are three students in critical condition, one in serious condition, and three others who are stable, officials said. A teacher who was shot was released from the hospital.

Bouchard cautioned the community against believing every online rumor about the shooting, as people were getting it mixed up with other threats law enforcement investigated and dismissed.

He also said investigators have hundreds of people to interview and hundreds of hours of video to review, and once an investigation is wrapped up, evidence will be presented to a prosecutor for a charging determination.

"This touches us all personally and deeply and will for a long time. This wound will never go away," Bouchard said.