Seven additional people were transported to the hospital with injuries ranging from gunshot wounds to being trampled, he said.
The shooter, who was armed with a long gun, was in his 20s, officials said. It remains unclear why he chose to enter the school or if he attended the school.
Law enforcement investigate the scene of a shooting at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in St. Louis.Jeff Roberson/AP/Shutterstock
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At about 9 a.m., a high school principal allegedly came on the school’s loudspeaker and announced the code word for a school shooting, theSt. Louis Post-Dispatchreported.
David Williams, a math teacher at the school, told the newspaper he heard multiple shots outside his classroom. He then heard a man say, “You are all going to (expletive) die.”
David Carson/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via ZUMA Press Wire
Nylah Jones, a ninth grader at the school, toldThe Post-Dispatchthat the shooter fired into the classroom she was in from the hallway, but couldn’t gain entry into the room. She said the students piled into a corner while the gunman banged on the door.
“Next thing you know, we just heard gunshots,” Nylah told the outlet.
Jeff Roberson/AP/Shutterstock
Another student at the school, Taniya Gholston, 16, toldThe Post-Dispatchthat the shooter’s gun eventually jammed.
The Post-Dispatchreports that one boy was seen consoling his mother in the aftermath saying: “It’s OK, Mom. It’s OK, I’m here.”
The police chief said his officers expect to interview students from the school, but it might not happen today.
“They just went through a traumatic incident,” he said. “This is a heartbreaking day for all of us.”
“Our hearts go out to the victims and their families of this morning’s shooting at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in St. Louis,” Missouri GovernorMike Parson wrote on Twitter.
Parents have been directed to Gateway Science Academy to be reunited with their children.
This is a developing story.
source: people.com
