A student was killed and another was injured in a shooting outside a school in Minnesota Tuesday afternoon, police said.
The shooting happened outside the South Education Center in Richfield, Minnesota, around 12:07 p.m., Chief Jay Henthorne said.
Emergency crews stage outside the South Education Center in Richfield, Minn.
(FOX 9)
Responding officers found two students who’d been shot on the sidewalk outside the school, Henthorne said, adding that the suspects had fled the scene.
The students were rushed to the hospital. One of them died from his injuries, while the other remains hospitalized in critical condition, Henthorne said.
NEW YORK CITY SHOOTING LEAVES MAN DEAD IN BROAD DAYLIGHT; WOMAN SHOT IN ARM
South Education Center and other area schools were placed on lockdown while officers conducted a search before determining there was no longer a threat.
The incident remains under investigation and law enforcement is searching for the suspects, Henthorne said.
Anyone with information on the matter is being asked to call 1-800-FBI (1-800-225-5324).
District Superintendent Sandy Lewandowski said the school remains in constant contact with police as they continue their investigation.
South Education Center in Richfield, Minnesota.
(Google Maps)
“We express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the victims,” Lewandowski said in a statement. “We are deeply saddened by this incident and will work to support the family, classmates and staff as much as we can.”
Richfield is about a 20-minute drive south of Minneapolis.
South Education Center has about 200 students, according to its website, which describes it as a school that offers special education programs and an alternative high school, with students as young as prekindergarten. It is part of District 287, which provides services to 11 school districts across the Minneapolis area as well as some students from other districts.
Nearby Richfield Middle School sent a message to parents telling them that police, with weapons drawn, and emergency medical workers had shown up at the school by mistake in response to an emergency call from South Education Center. The message said the call had nothing to do with the middle school.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that police had been called to the school in September after a male student brought a gun in his backpack. Students alerted school staff. No one was hurt in that incident.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Spokeswoman Rachel Hicks told the newspaper then that South had phased out metal detectors at school entrances. The district had also in recent years removed school resource officers and replaced them with student safety coaches to focus on building relationships and working on mental health issues, Hicks told the newspaper.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
