- A student is in custody after a shooting at a middle school in Noblesville, Indiana.
- One student and one teacher were taken to nearby hospitals with gunshot wounds, though their conditions remain unclear.
- A teacher “swatted” the gun out of the shooter’s hand when he entered a classroom, potentially saving students’ lives, one seventh-grader told media.
- Authorities also acknowledged that a “secondary threat” was made at the Noblesville high school.
One student and one teacher were injured in a shooting at the Noblesville West Middle School in Indiana on Friday, authorities said.
A male student believed to be the shooter is in custody, Noblesville Police Chief Kevin Jowitt said at a news conference.
The shooting began after the suspect asked to be excused from his class, left the room, then returned armed with two handguns, and opened fire, Jowitt said. Police received the first emergency call at 9:06 a.m., local time.
Jowitt didn’t clarify what happened next, but said the situation was resolved “extremely quickly” and the student was placed into custody.
The student victim was taken to Riley Hospital for Children, and the teacher was brought to IU Health Methodist Hospital, Indiana University Health spokeswoman Danielle Sirilla told the Associated Press. Their conditions are unclear.
The suspect is believed to have acted alone, spokesman Bryant Orem of the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office told the AP.
One seventh-grade student who witnessed the shooting told the Indianapolis television station FOX59 News that a teacher had swatted the gun away from the shooter when he entered the science classroom.
The teacher's actions potentially saved the remaining students from being shot, the seventh grader said. It's unclear whether the teacher was the injured adult who was brought to hospital.
The Associated Press also reported the story, citing seventh-grader Ethan Stonebraker, who said the class was taking a test when the suspected shooter walked in late, pulled out a gun, and opened fire.
The teacher "immediately ran at him, swatted a gun out of his hand and tackled him to the ground," Stonebraker said, adding that "if it weren't for him, more of us would have been injured for sure."
A "secondary threat" was also made at the Noblesville High School, but there was no information to suggest that the incident was "anything other than a communicated threat," Jowitt said.
"We are taking steps to make sure that the school stays secure," he added.
Noblesville is a city of approximately 56,000 residents, 30 miles north of Indianapolis.
The incident comes amid nationwide tension over deadly mass shootings at American schools. One week ago, a gunman killed 10 people at a high school in Santa Fe, Texas, and in February, a shooter killed 17 people at a high school in Parkland, Florida.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.