Student dead, police officer injured in Knoxville school shooting

Washington, Apr 12 (EFE).- One student is dead and a police officer is in serious condition in hospital after a shooting at a high school in Knoxville, Tennessee, officials reported Monday.

Police officers were called to Austin-East Magnet High School at around 3.15pm local time (7.15pm GMT) in response to reports of an individual possibly armed with a gun inside the school.

Upon arrival, officers located the individual in a bathroom, the director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), David Rausch, told a press conference.

According to the official, the armed person, later identified as a student, refused to leave the bathroom when ordered out, so police entered.

“He reportedly fired shots, striking an officer,” Rausch told reporters. “One officer returned fire.”

The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene.

The injured officer was shot “at least once” in the upper leg and is in serious condition in hospital, undergoing surgery, Knoxville Police Chief Eve Thomas said.

An earlier statement from the Knoxville Police reported the arrest of an individual.

Rausch said a second person authorities had detained for further investigation was likely a witness.

The investigation remains active and ongoing, the TBI said.

The United States has seen a string of shootings in recent weeks that has prompted President Joe Biden to announce a series of limited-scope measures to tackle gun violence and to demand that Congress stop tolerating a problem that has described as an “international disgrace.” EFE

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