Alpine Middle School, which is about a mile from the high school, said in a Facebook post that it was in “a critical lockdown”.
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Alpine ISD announced Thursday evening that all schools in the district will be closed Friday, and that counselors and clergy members will be available to students when classes resume Monday.
The person has not been identified, but several reports believe the deceased is one of the two reported shooters, according to ABC News and local news affiliate, Alpine Avalanche. A note making a bomb threat was found on a motel door, he said.
A deputy happened to be driving by and entered the band hall, Dodson said. One person was shot in the lower extremities and transferred to a local hospital. Dodson says the 14-year-old later died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. She said one was treated and released, while the other was transferred.
The incident was just the latest in a long series of shootings at United States schools that have claimed dozens of lives. Alpine is about 220 miles southeast of El Paso.
Houston went on to say that a student was shot by another female student. The shooter died, while the other student was being treated for injuries that weren’t considered life threatening.
No clear motive has been released as of yet as authorities are in the early stages of their investigation.
Police dispatcher Scarlet Eldred said an unspecified incident took place at the high school shortly before 9am (3am Friday NZT).
After the shooting, the sheriff’s office received threats from a man to bomb nearby Sul Ross State University and attack a hospital. That was later deemed to be a hoax, but it required officers to rush to the university from the high school.
“That’s ridiculous for someone to call in something like this when we’ve got this situation going on”, Mr Dodson said.
After a time, a law enforcement officer banged on the classroom door and ushered the students out, she said.
A student at the school was shot but is still alive, and an officer was reportedly shot as well in what appears to be an accidental shooting, Dodson said.
Dodson tells radio station KVLF that one female student shot and injured another female student just before 9 a.m.
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“There has been an active shooter incident”, Lt. Elizabeth Carter with the Texas Department of Public Safety said while heading to the school, located about two hours south of Odessa, Texas.
