Holly MatkinSt. Louis, MO – A female student and an adult woman were murdered and at least six more victims were injured after a gunman opened fire inside Central Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) High School on Monday morning.
The incident occurred at approximately 9:10 a.m. on Oct. 24, KTVI reported.
“The shooter was quickly stopped by police inside CVPA,” officials said, according to KABC.
St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD) Interim Chief Mike Sack told reporters during a late-morning press conference that the doors to the school were locked when the attack occurred.
Chief Sack refused to disclose how the gunman ended up getting inside the building, but said officers arrived quickly and “did an amazing job” confronting the shooter and ending his rampage.
The gunman, identified only as a male in his early 20s, was injured in an “exchange of gunfire” with police, the chief told reporters.
He was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A teenaged female victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
Seven more victims were transported to the hospital, where one adult female ultimately died from gunshot wounds, Chief Sack said.
The identities of the victims were not immediately released.
Chief Sack said the victims suffered a variety of injures, to include gunshot and shrapnel wounds.
The CVPA and Collegiate High School were both immediately placed on lockdown.
https://twitter.com/wrappedyoutv/status/1584578471464153088?s=20&t=ue1PmAUJQKoxz0ogJ58SzA
Students have since been evacuated to Gateway School, where they were being reunited with their families, Chief Sack said.
As students were flooding out of the school building in the wake of the attack, they told responding officers that the gunman was carrying a long gun, KTVI reported.
Officers heard additional gunfire and ran towards it “without hesitation,” then got into a gun battle with the suspect, according to the police chief.
No officers were injured during the incident, KTVI reported.
⚠️🇺🇸#DEVELOPING: Numerous injured following deadly school shooting in St Louis, Missouri#StLouis l #MO
Police confirm three people are dead and several more are injured in a ‘random’ attack. The threat has since been neutralized.
More information as it becomes available. pic.twitter.com/i2PhZjkWCO— Intel Point ALERT (@IntelPointAlert) October 24, 2022
Law enforcement officers from multiple agencies responded to the school in the wake of the mass shooting.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said that there was “no longer an immediate threat” as of 10:05 a.m., KTVI reported.
“This is a heartbreaking day for all of us. It’s going to be tough,” Chief Sack said. “While on paper we might have nine victims, eight who were transported, one remained, we have hundreds of others. Everyone who survived here is going to take home trauma.”
The chief later noted that the gunman was among the eight individuals who were transported to the hospital.
At this time, the scene is secure and there is no active threat. A news conference will be held soon. https://t.co/lIWKnssED5
— St. Louis, MO Police (@SLMPD) October 24, 2022
BREAKING: #BNNUS Reports
Three people were killed, including the gunman, in a shooting at a St. Louis High School on Monday morning.
When authorities learned of a shooter with a long gun inside Central Visual and Performing Arts High School shortly after 9 a.m., chaos ensued. pic.twitter.com/2r7VpqMVs7
— Gurbaksh Singh Chahal (@gchahal) October 24, 2022
This is a developing story and we will keep you updated. For all of our updates, follow us on Facebook and go to your news feed preferences under your settings, then select that you want to see more of The Police Tribune’s posts in your news feed. Otherwise, Facebook may not show you updates.
