Law Enforcement Reveals 8 People Killed in Texas School Shooting

At least eight people are dead following a shooting at Santa Fe High School, law enforcement sources said.

ABC 13 reports that a suspect is in custody following the active shooter situation at the high school in Santa Fe, Texas.

The school district issued a statement confirming multiple injuries but no fatalities this morning. Students are being transported to the nearby Alamo Gym, where they can reunite with their parents.

Law enforcement had previously confirmed that multiple students were killed in the shooting. Witnesses have said in unconfirmed reports that the shooter, who federal officials believe to be a student, fired what appeared to be a shotgun.

President Donald Trump took to Twitter to comment about the developing situation around 11:00 a.m. ET.

“School shooting in Texas. Early reports not looking good. God bless all!” he wrote.

The school district issued multiple posts on Facebook addressing the shooting, with the latest update reporting confirmed injuries.

“This morning an incident occurred at the high school involving an active shooter,” the post read. “The situation is active, but has been contained. There have been confirmed injuries. Details will be released as we receive updated information. Law enforcement will continue to secure the building and initiate all emergency management protocols to release and move students to another location. All other campuses are operating under their regular schedules.”

Law enforcement responded to the situation around 8 a.m. Friday after receiving reports of shots fired.

CBS News reports that in addition to the Santa Fe Police Department and the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI is also reporting to offer assistance. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) said on social media that it was also responding to the scene.

Witnesses say the shooting took place in an art class on campus between 7:30 and 7:45 a.m. and that the shooter was using a shotgun.

Police have not confirmed witness reports that the shooter was using a shotgun.

Speaking to CNN, 14-year-old student Angelica Martinez described what happened, sharing that the reported shooting occurred early in the school day.

“It was just a normal like class day,” Martinez said, explaining that she believed a fire drill was occurring and went outside with other students, following fire drill procedure.

“We were all standing [outside], but not even five minutes later, we started hearing gunshots,” she added. “And then everybody starts running.”

“I didn’t see anybody shooting, but like [the gunshots] were kind of spaced,” Martinez recalled, adding that she heard about four shots.

Dr. Cris Richardson, assistant principal of Santa Fe High School, has since told reporters that there was an active shooting inside the school and that one person has been arrested, CNN reports.

“We have done an amazing job to get the students out of the building safely and to reunited them with parents as we are able to and that’s about all I can tell you right now,” Richardson said.

Santa Fe is a city of about 13,000 residents, located 30 miles southeast of Houston. Santa Fe High School has more than 1,400 students in grades 9-12.

Law enforcement responded to the same school in February when it was placed on lockdown after students and teachers said they heard “popping sounds.” Santa Fe police swept the campus but found no threat.