6 Students Shoot At Seattle High School

Five students were shot, one fatally, in a shooting at Marysville-Pilchuck High School in Seattle on Friday morning. Authorities confirmed that the student who initially opened fire in the school cafeteria is dead, possibly from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The gunman was the school's newly appointed homecoming prince, witnesses told CNN. For hours afterwards, ambulances were stationed outside the school and armed police officers searched classrooms as the school remained on lockdown.

The Times reported that four of the injured have been taken to Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett by ambulance, including one victim with a head wound. An Associated Press report said that Marysville Police Commander Robert Lamoureux acknowledged that the shooter was a student, and confirmed that there was only one shooter. According to the local paper, students have said that he was a freshman. The shooting took place at 10:45 a.m.

A student told CNN that students initially assumed the shooting was a fire drill, until teachers told them to "run to classrooms." The student, whose name CNN withheld, said that the incident began in the cafeteria. She is reportedly hiding in a classroom with others. Some students have been evacuated, and others were told to stay in the rooms. A number of students were taken to the nearby church, where the Times reported them tearfully reuniting with family members.

Student Austin Joyner tweeted that he saw the shooter enter the cafeteria, walk over to a table, drew out a gun and shoot four to six students who were sitting there. (That number was later confirmed by authorities to be five.)

On Friday afternoon, Marysville School District said in a statement that the school is "currently in lockdown due to an emergency situation." It added:

Police and emergency services have responded. The Marysville School District lock down procedures will remain in effect at Pilchuck until further notice from law enforcement.

CBS Seattle quoted a resident who lives across the street from the school, Arthur White, telling The Daily Herald of the large number of police cars at the school late Friday morning.

“I’ve never seen so many police in my life. It’s a tragedy,” White said.

An FBI spokeswoman in Seattle said agents were en route to assist investigations.

The high school is about 30 miles north of Seattle. The last shooting in the region happened in June, at Seattle Pacific University, where the gunman killed one and injured two.

Image: CNN (3)