Student who fired at police at Tennessee high school shot dead
- Student dead, police officer wounded in shooting at Knoxville school
- The United States has seen series of mass shootings in recent weeks
Police shot and killed a Knoxville, Tennessee, high school student on Monday after they said he opened fire on them in a campus bathroom, wounding an officer.
The gunfire, which erupted at about 3.15pm at Austin-East Magnet High School on the east side of Knoxville, marked the latest in a rash of shootings in the United States since mid-March.
The wounded police officer was struck by a round in the upper leg and was in serious condition following surgery at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, Knoxville police officials said. He was expected to survive.
Knoxville police said they responded to Austin-East after getting reports of a gunman at the school and found the suspect in a bathroom.
“As officers entered the space, the suspect reportedly fired shots, striking an officer. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene and has since been identified as a student at Austin-East,” David Rausch, director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, said.
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Knoxville Police Chief Eve Thomas called the incident “chilling”. Police had initially reported multiple gunshot victims in the attack.