Gunman dead after Colorado school shooting
14 Dec BBC
A student at a Colorado school shot and wounded two students, one
seriously, before dying of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound,
police say.
The gunman brought a shotgun to the school and was looking for a
specific teacher when confronted by a classmate, the Arapahoe County
sheriff said.The teacher left the school after learning he was a target.
The attack took place a day before the anniversary of a US primary
school shooting which left 20 children dead.Six adults were also
murdered when Adam Lanza attacked Sandy Hook elementary school in
Newtown Connecticut. Small ceremonies are due to take place in the town
on Saturday.The suspect entered Arapahoe High School in Centennial at
12:33 local time (19:33 GMT), according to officials.
The school and others in the area were placed on lockdown.Upon the
initial reports of a shooting, heavily armed police trained in “active
shooter” scenarios stormed the building, ordering students outside with
their hands over their heads.The 15-year-old female student who
confronted and was shot by the suspect was in serious condition and
undergoing surgery in hospital, the sheriff said.Inside, they found
another student who had apparently suffered a minor gunshot wound.
Authorities also found the student believed to be the gunman, dead from
an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, Arapahoe County Sheriff
Grayson Robinson said.That individual is currently deceased and he
apparently killed himself,” he added.
Police have not yet released the name of the suspect but believe that
he acted alone. Sheriff Robinson said they knew his identity.He added
that the shooting appeared to be an attempt at revenge following a
disagreement between the suspect and the teacher he was looking for.
Two petrol bombs were also found inside the school.The school has
more than 2,200 students and 70 classrooms.One student told a local CBS
affiliate she heard three shots and hid in a locked room as teachers
attempted to comfort those inside.A school caretaker told local media he
saw a student dressed in military-type clothing running through the
school and took the threatened teacher outside.
Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper praised authorities’ quick
response to the incident on Friday.Our “prayers are with the entire...
community,” he said.
The school is just eight miles (13km) east of Columbine High School
in Littleton, Colorado, the site of a mass school shooting in April 1999
which left 14 students dead.
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