Two people were shot at a Denver high school on Wednesday and the campus was placed on lockdown while cops searched for the gunman.
“The Denver Police Dept is responding to a shooting at East High School,” cops said on Twitter around 10 a.m. local time.
“Unknown number of victims at this time. Investigators are working to gather information, expect large police presence in the area.”
In a follow-up tweet, the department said “two adult victims have been located and transported to area hospitals.
Dever Police Chief Ron Thomas said during a press briefing at the scene that the shooter was a student at the school and the individual was on the loose.
“There was a student, as was alluded to,” Thomas said. “As part of a safety plan they were undergoing a search. During that search obviously, a weapon was retrieved, a handgun was retrieved and several shots were fired, striking those two individuals.
“That individual then fled the school but we do know who that individual is and a search is underway to try to locate that particular individual,” the chief said.
He said one of the victims is in serious but stable condition and the second is in critical condition and undergoing surgery.
Denver school officials announced around 10 a.m. — the third period in the school day — that the building had been placed on lockdown.
About a half hour later, the district announced that students would be taken to a separate location where parents can pick up their children.
Police were not releasing further details.
The shooting was the second tied to the school this year. In February, a 16-year-old East High School student was shot and mortally wounded while sitting in a parked car near the school, according to ABC affiliate KMGH-TV News.
Victim Luis Garcia clung to life for 17 days before he died from his injuries. Police arrested two suspects but have not revealed a motive for the shooting, the outlet reported.
