One person dead, officer injured after shooting at a high school in Knoxville, Tennessee
[Breaking news update at 5:51 p.m. ET]
One person has died and a police officer was injured after a shooting at a high school on Monday in Knoxville, Tennessee, police said. The person was pronounced dead at the scene.
[Previous story, published at 5:09 p.m. ET]
Knoxville Police Department (KPD) in Tennessee said that multiple agencies are at the scene of a shooting at Austin-East Magnet High School.
There are multiple gunshot victims reported, KPD said in a tweet on Monday, including one of their officers. Special agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) Nashville Field Division are on the scene of the shooting, the agency tweeted.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office said there is “no active threat” at Austin-East High School, according to CNN affiliate WVLT.
The investigation is “active,” police said.
Knox County Sheriff’s Office Spokesperson Kimberly Glenn said that someone from the department is heading to the hospital to check on the injured police officer, WVLT reported.
A reunification site is set up at the baseball field behind the school, police said in another tweet.
“We are gathering information about this tragic situation and will provide additional information as soon as possible,” Bob Thomas, Knox County Schools superintendent, said in a tweet. “The school building has been secured and students who were not involved in the incident have been released to their families.”
Gov. Bill Lee said during an event Monday afternoon for people to “pray for that situation and the families and the victims that might be effected by that in our state.”
Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon told WVLT she met with the injured officer.
“He is conscious and he’s in good spirits. I met with his wife, he’s going to be OK,” she said, adding that the officer will need to undergo surgery.
Kincannon said she thanked the officer for putting his life on the line for the students and staff at the school.
“He said that he’d rather that he be hurt than anybody else,” she said.
This is a developing story.
