Students who attended a high school in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, on Monday were forced to hide under desks and chairs in classrooms, while classmates and staff searched the school, as a lockdown was in effect.
The school was evacuated in the early morning hours following the shooting, which took place at the Pittsburg School of the Arts and Sciences.
A number of children and staff were also injured, including a 12-year-old girl who suffered a head wound.
The incident occurred in the school’s cafeteria, where the shooter had opened fire on people eating lunch, killing five and wounding 16.
The shooter is believed to have walked into the school and opened fire, according to police.
The schools superintendent said he has ordered staff to stay home and to not enter the building during the lockdown.
“It is a difficult day for all of us, but we are determined to remain focused on our students and the work that we are doing,” Pittsburg Schools Superintendent Brian Saylor said in a statement.
“We know that all of you are strong and resilient and our hearts go out to you.”
The school’s president said staff were working hard to get the situation under control, but that the school was in lockdown.
Pittsburg’s police chief told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that a man with a gun was seen in the hallways and inside the school.
The district’s fire chief told WTAE that the fire department is investigating the incident, and a spokesman for the Pittsfield Fire Department told the Associated Press that there were no injuries.
Police also told the AP that the shooting was not random.
The shooting came just hours after the gunman killed two people and wounded five in a shooting at a school in suburban St. Cloud, Minnesota.
In the early hours of Monday morning, Pittsburg students and staff began evacuating classrooms, as the school received more than 200 calls regarding the shooting.
The lockdown at the school lasted about 10 minutes.
According to CNN, the shooter was seen walking into the building, and that there was a “firefight” with police.
“At some point during the standoff, someone in the building decided to take cover under a table,” Pittsford Police Chief John Lott said.
Police are investigating the shooting and the shooter, but have not identified him.
Students were allowed to return to classes at Pittsfields main campus in Pittsville, Minnesota, on Tuesday.
Pittsburg Mayor Ron Brown told local media that he was aware of the shooting in Pittsburgh, but added that the incident was not racially motivated.
He said that he had been in contact with law enforcement and the Pittsburgh School District and is still “trying to understand exactly what happened.”
“I’m saddened by the loss of life and the injuries,” Brown said.
“I don’t think that this should be happening.
It’s not something that we’re going to tolerate in our community.”
He said the school district was cooperating with authorities, and added that he hoped “this incident will not be repeated.”
