The other person injured was said to be a student at the high school.
Advertisement
The incident was just the latest in a long series of shootings at US schools, some of which have claimed dozens of lives.
“Iris said she could hear the shots and the yells”, Lorina Ybarra said this morning after she collected her daughter from the Assembly of God church next to Alpine High, where students were held after the school building was evacuated.
Inside the school, officers found the freshman dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The name of the deceased shooter hasn’t been released.
The injured student was rushed to the hospital where their condition is unknown. There was also a threat at a motel in Marathon, Texas, about 30 miles east of Alpine.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement: “I am now monitoring the active shooter situation in Alpine”.
Authorities said the alleged gunman took their own life after shooting a student. The shooter died, while the other student was being treated for injuries that weren’t considered life threatening. Dodson didn’t identify her or provide a motive but said her family is cooperating.
The school, and surrounding ones, were placed on lockdown following the incident.
The school was on lockdown following the shooting Thursday morning.
Police pivoted their efforts to that school “to protect that bunch on the campus there”, Dodson said, adding that he has asked the Federal Bureau of Investigation for help in tracking the bomb threat.
Dodson’s voice got tight as he discussed the person he described as a prank caller: “He is the focus right now because of what he has done to our community”, Dodson said. The university says the campus was being cleared by law enforcement. As authorities were clearing the school, a U.S. Marshal and Homeland Security officer were involved in an accidental shooting. An officer was also shot in the leg and it is unknown where he is receiving treatment at this time.
Alpine is in southwest Texas, around 50 miles from the Mexican border and about 250 miles southeast of El Paso.
‘Sheriff Dodson said someone called them and said “y’all better leave me alone”‘ and made threats against the school.
Police have yet to release any information about the victim, though it is being reported that the victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment, according to the NY Daily News.
Classes in the school district began August 22.
Police in the West Texas town of Alpine say there’s an “active shooter” situation and schools have been locked down amid the search for a suspect.
Advertisement
Police recovered a semi-automatic pistol next to the shooter’s body.
