At least three people, including one suspected shooter, were shot at Lone Star College on its Houston-area campus in Texas on Tuesday, a school official said.
According to Jed Young, a spokesman for the school, the shooting began with an altercation “involving two individuals” shortly before 12:30 p.m. local time. Two people were shot in the crossfire, the spokesman said. The extent of their injuries were not immediately known. According to Houston’s ABC affiliate, both of the victims—one student and one employee—have multiple gun shot wounds and are in serious condition. Both victims were conscious when they arrived at the hospital.
One of the suspected shooters was shot and taken into custody, while a second shooter fled the campus, the spokesman said. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said the situation remains “ongoing,” but confirmed that a “person of interest” was detained and is in custody.
According to CNN, a fourth victim suffered a heart attack during the incident.
It’s unclear if the suspected shooters were students at the school. Initial reports suggested the shooting may have escalated after a heated argument between them.
The police, added the spokesman, said that the danger on campus had been “mitigated.”
An alert posted on the school’s website shortly before 1 p.m. warned students to take shelter. “LSC-North Harris is locked down,” the alert read. “Students, faculty and staff are advised to take immediate shelter where you are. Do not enter the campus until notified further.”
Four nearby colleges were placed on precautionary lockdown.
Aerial footage showed SWAT team members evacuating students from several buildings on the campus in North Harris County as ATF, FBI and local police searched a wooded area.
In interviews with local media outlets, students described a chaotic scene. A female student told KTRK-TV she heard five shots fired in an area between the library and the cafeteria. Other students say they heard gunshots when they were in cafeteria.
“I was just sitting in my room academic building, room 163 when I heard gun shots,” Twitter user @Amandaplease223 wrote. “Rapid shots. In the hallway.”
The Lone Star College system has a total enrollment of more than 90,000 students across six campuses, according to its website.
The shooting comes a little more than five weeks after 26 people—including 20 children—were killed after a gunman opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., sparking a national debate on gun control.
In a statement, Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s office said the governor had been briefed on the shooting, but declined further comment.
-THE LOOKOUT