From Associated Press - Police responded to reports of a possible active shooter at a Knoxville, Tennessee, high school. Upon arriving at the scene, a student opened fire on the officers, wounding one officer in the upper leg.
Nashville, Tennessee, Bureau of Investigation Director David B. Rausch stated at a news conference that police found the student in a bathroom at Austin-East Magnet High School. Rausch stated that the officers ordered the student to come out, but the student refused and began firing at the officers. Police then shot back, killing the student.
Authorities stated that the officer who was wounded was taken into surgery and is expected to recover.
There is an ongoing investigation to determine the motives behind why the student chose to bring a gun to school and why he chose to fire at the officers.
Earlier this year, three Austin-East students were killed in separate incidents outside of school within three weeks of each other. Two of the victims were 15 years old, and one was 16. In response, the school announced earlier this year that they would be adding three school resource officers and additional patrols around dismissal time.
Representative Sam McKenzie, who represents the district and attended Austin-East, stated, "This is the fourth unnecessary shooting involving the Austin East community this year and we must make sure we take every step and make every effort to prevent these tragedies from continuing to occur."
Image from Associated Press