A shooting broke out at a Tennessee high school after officers responded to the report of a possible armed man, the city’s police department said.
Police found the student in a bathroom at Austin-East Magnet High School, and shot at him after he opened fire on them, said Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) Director David B. Rausch at a press conference Monday evening. The shooter was confirmed dead at the scene, and a police officer was sent to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, the Knoxville Police Department (KPD) said.
“It’s a sad day for Knoxville, and it’s tough for Austin-East,” Rausch added.
Multiple agencies are on the scene of a shooting at Austin-East Magnet High School. Multiple gunshot victims reported, including a KPD officer. The investigation remains active at this time. Please avoid the area. pic.twitter.com/ViQirnQSpx
— Knoxville Police TN (@Knoxville_PD) April 12, 2021
“Based on the preliminary investigation, Knoxville Police Department officers responded to Austin East Magnet high school on the report of a male subject who was possibly armed in the school. Upon approach of the subject, shots were fired,” the KPD said earlier Monday.
Knox County Schools Superintendent Bob Thomas confirmed the shooting in a tweet Monday afternoon, and added that the building was secure shortly after it began.
“The school building has been secured and students who were not involved in the incident have been released to their families,” he said, adding that officials were investigating the “tragic situation” and that they would provide additional information as they learned it.
The TBI also tweeted that it was responding to the incident after reports of the shooting first broke.
Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee called the shooting “a very difficult and tragic situation” during a press conference Monday, and said that his office was receiving updates as well.
Lee signed a bill Thursday allowing the concealed carry of hand guns without a permit for individuals 21 and older. The law goes into effect July 1 and does not apply to long guns.
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