All Alpine schools are now on lockdown and the scene is still active, according to the sheriff’s Office. They turned off the lights and locked the door, and the school went into lockdown, Butler told NBC News. The student who survived, “had run out into the street and some local people picked her up and took her to the hospital”, he said.
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Dodson says the officer’s injuries aren’t life-threatening. An officer was also shot in the leg and it is unknown where he is receiving treatment at this time.
Alpine police took the call about 9:25 a.m. CT, and the sheriff’s department was first on the scene.
Alpine High School, which has about 280 students, has been evacuated and the other schools are now on lockdown. Residents were on hand to offer bottled water and hugs to their affected neighbors.
School started two weeks ago.
A second student was also injured in the shooting.
Ruth Hucke, a spokeswoman for Big Bend Regional Medical Center in Alpine, confirmed the number of patients but declined to give any further details on their condition.
The last place that authorities are investigating is at the Marathon Motel.
The sheriff said that it was ‘ridiculous for someone to call in something like this’. “We’ve got Homeland Security, FBI, Border Patrol, DPS, Reeves County, Pecos County, some Midland officers”.
Dodson added that the motive was not clear and no other suspects were being sought in an ongoing investigation.
Because the term “active shooter” has so been abused by the news media, law enforcement professionals are beginning to move away from the term. Dodson stated that a male prank caller made threats and was “occupying a lot” of resources.
“This community does not expect this”, Dodson said. The Alpine Avalanche reported that students had been released to their parents for the duration of the day. They promised to release more information in the days to come. He said they found plenty of ammunition but didn’t say how much.
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For now, resources are being focused on finding the source (or sources) of the prank calls, including assistance from the the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
