A student opened fire in the cafeteria of a Washington high school on Friday, killing one person, wounding at least four others and spreading panic among students who scrambled across fields and parking lots to safety, police and hospital officials said.
The shooter at Marysville Pilchuck High School, north of Seattle, acted alone and was now dead, Marysville Police Commander Robb Lamoureux told reporters.
"We are confident that there was only one shooter and that the shooter is deceased but we do need to clear each building and make sure that was the case," Lamoureux said.
Authorities said they did not yet know what may have motivated the assailant and declined to release the suspect's identity.
Lamoureux said police were going room by room, searching the school to make sure it was safe.
"It is an active scene," he said. "We do ask parents to please stay away."
Adam Holston, 14, a freshman, was just leaving the lunch room when the gunfire broke out.
"Everyone just started running," he told The Seattle Times. "I could hear the gun shots and my heart was racing and we didn't know what was going on."
Student Alan Perez told KING-TV he was eating his lunch at a nearby table when he heard the gunshots.
"He had a little gun in his hand. I saw the flash from the muzzle," he said.
Another student, Austin Taylor, told the station the shooter "was just staring down every one of his victims as he shot them."
Four students were brought to Providence Everett medical center, said a hospital spokeswoman. Three were in "very critical" condition, while one considered stable enough to transport was taken to another medical center in Seattle.
It was not immediately clear if the person who died was one of those brought to Providence Everett medical center.
'It's a tragedy'
Local television station KIRO showed images of students running from school buildings, crossing a sports field with their hands in the air as officers with rifles ran across the school yard.
"The Marysville Pilchuck High School is currently in lockdown due to an emergency situation. Police and emergency services have responded," the school district said in a message on its website.
The district said students were being sent to a nearby church from where buses would take them home.
Parent Jerry Holston told CNN that his two children had contacted him by phone following the gunfire and were not wounded.
Holston said son, Adam, called him immediately following the shooting, yelling: "Dad, dad, hurry, someone is shooting. Please come."
Arthur White, who lives across from the school, tells The Daily Herald a large number of police vehicles converged on the scene quickly late Friday morning.
"I've never seen so many police in my life. It's a tragedy," White said.
NBC News reported that President Barack Obama had been briefed about of the situation.
"Like all of WA, Trudi and I have everyone at #MPHS in our hearts and prayers. Please take care of each other," Washington Governor Jay Inslee said in a tweet.
The latest school shooting in the region happened at Seattle Pacific University, where a gunman killed one student and wounded two others on June 5.
http://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world...oting-2-dead-including-lone-gunman/ar-BBaYJ8G
The shooter at Marysville Pilchuck High School, north of Seattle, acted alone and was now dead, Marysville Police Commander Robb Lamoureux told reporters.
"We are confident that there was only one shooter and that the shooter is deceased but we do need to clear each building and make sure that was the case," Lamoureux said.
Authorities said they did not yet know what may have motivated the assailant and declined to release the suspect's identity.
Lamoureux said police were going room by room, searching the school to make sure it was safe.
"It is an active scene," he said. "We do ask parents to please stay away."
Adam Holston, 14, a freshman, was just leaving the lunch room when the gunfire broke out.
"Everyone just started running," he told The Seattle Times. "I could hear the gun shots and my heart was racing and we didn't know what was going on."
Student Alan Perez told KING-TV he was eating his lunch at a nearby table when he heard the gunshots.
"He had a little gun in his hand. I saw the flash from the muzzle," he said.
Another student, Austin Taylor, told the station the shooter "was just staring down every one of his victims as he shot them."
Four students were brought to Providence Everett medical center, said a hospital spokeswoman. Three were in "very critical" condition, while one considered stable enough to transport was taken to another medical center in Seattle.
It was not immediately clear if the person who died was one of those brought to Providence Everett medical center.
'It's a tragedy'
Local television station KIRO showed images of students running from school buildings, crossing a sports field with their hands in the air as officers with rifles ran across the school yard.
"The Marysville Pilchuck High School is currently in lockdown due to an emergency situation. Police and emergency services have responded," the school district said in a message on its website.
The district said students were being sent to a nearby church from where buses would take them home.
Parent Jerry Holston told CNN that his two children had contacted him by phone following the gunfire and were not wounded.
Holston said son, Adam, called him immediately following the shooting, yelling: "Dad, dad, hurry, someone is shooting. Please come."
Arthur White, who lives across from the school, tells The Daily Herald a large number of police vehicles converged on the scene quickly late Friday morning.
"I've never seen so many police in my life. It's a tragedy," White said.
NBC News reported that President Barack Obama had been briefed about of the situation.
"Like all of WA, Trudi and I have everyone at #MPHS in our hearts and prayers. Please take care of each other," Washington Governor Jay Inslee said in a tweet.
The latest school shooting in the region happened at Seattle Pacific University, where a gunman killed one student and wounded two others on June 5.
http://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world...oting-2-dead-including-lone-gunman/ar-BBaYJ8G
