At least eight students have been reportedly killed and a gunman is in custody following a shooting Friday morning at Santa Fe High School in Texas. Time
A shooter who opened fire killing 10 people and injured several others at a Texas high school Friday has been arrested.
Nine students and one adult were killed at Santa Fe High School.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said mostly students were killed and several others including adults were injured.
An injured Santa Fe police officer is being treated, the extent of his injuries weren't released, Gonzalez said.
The shooter is believed to be a student and a second person also was detained and is being questioned, he added.
Possible explosive devices were found at the school and off campus and the school has been evacuated, the district tweeted. Law enforcement also cautioned residents to be o the lookout for suspicious packages.
University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston has three patients of Friday’s deadly shootings at Santa Fe High School, hospital spokesman Chris Smith Gonzalez said.
An adult male was in critical condition with a gunshot wound to one of his arms. An adult woman had a gunshot wound to one of her legs and was in good condition.
A 16-year-old boy was in good condition with a gunshot wound to one of his legs.
Gonzalez said the hospital is not taking any more patients from the scene.
"We don't want this happening anywhere, but we are all prepared," another doctor said at a morning news briefing.
President Donald Trump spoke with Gov. Greg Abbott to “offer his condolences for those affected by the shooting,” according to the White House. Trump also pledged to provide any necessary federal assistance.
"We are with you in this tragic hour and we will be with you forever," Trump said at a media briefing.
Abbott said is headed to the town of about 13,000, where he'll receive a briefing on the shooting before a 1 p.m. news conference. He ordered flags in the Lone Star State be lowered to half-staff in memory of those who died.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz also be at the news conference.
Santa Fe High School Assistant Principal Cris Richardson told ABC13 wouldn't comment on the number of students injured but said she "hoped the worst was over."
The school district also released a statement saying there were "confirmed injuries" and updates would be released. Other students are being taken to a nearby gym to be reunited with their parents, the statement reads.
One student told ABC13 a male shooter was armed with a shotgun and started shooting in her art class. She saw one girl with blood on her leg. She didn't get a good look on the shooter before she and other students fled the classroom.
"I didn't look. I just ran," she said.
At some point the fire alarm was pulled and initially some students reported thinking it was a drill until hearing gunshots.
The news hit Barron “Bear” Honea hard several miles away in Houston.
News of the shooting interrupted coverage of the royal wedding as Honea and his wife, Darla, sat in a waiting room at MD Anderson Cancer Center; doctors recently discovered tumors in Darla's neck.
“We thought ‘Santa Fe, New Mexico’ at first,’ said Honea, 57. “Then they showed a map and … saw (Interstate) 45. I thought ‘Oh, my word.’ ”
Honea's friend David Silva is a trainer at Santa Fe High. Silva's son, Noah, a sophomore, was shot in the buttocks and taken to a hospital. By 10:30 a.m., the elder Silva had told Honea that Noah was out of surgery.
"My wife and I ... were both crying," Honea said. "It was more than a little emotion. There were tears flowing."
The shooting comes after a false report of a shooter at the school in February prompted some students to run out of the school.
Multiple local, state and federal law enforcement agencies have responded including the Santa Fe Police Department, Galveston County Sheriff's Office and nearby Harris County Sheriff's Office. ATF and SWAT officers along with multiple ambulances descended on the school following reports of the active shooter.
The report about the shooting came in just before 8 a.m. Friday from the school on 16000 Highway 6 shortly before 8 a.m. Friday.
One parent who drove to the school after learning about the shooting told ABC13 his son was able to run to a nearby gas station but that he saw several students were being taken away on stretchers and at least eight were taken away in ambulances.
The school district is based in Santa Fe, Texas about 45 miles south of Houston. It is made up of four schools – two elementary schools, a middle school and a high school.
Santa Fe students are in the midst of preparing for final exams next week. The school’s seniors are set to graduate on June 1. Prom was held May 12.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Chris Ramirez contributed to this report.