Shooting outside a Minnesota school left one student dead and another injured on Tuesday afternoon. Police have arrested two suspects in connection with the incident. According to Richfield Police Chief Jay Henthorne, the incident took place outside the South Education Center in Richfield, Minnesota, around 12:07 pm.
District Superintendent Sandy Lewandowski informed in a statement that shots were fired outside at South Education Center near the front entrance. Chief Henthorne noted that officers responded to the scene to find two students with gunshot wounds. Both were rushed to the hospital but one of them passed away shortly after. The other remains in critical condition.
The identities or the age of the victims were not known at the moment. The circumstances that led to the gunfire are not clear. South Education Center and other area schools were placed on lockdown following the incident.
Suspects arrested
Richfield police officers executed two search warrants at two Minneapolis addresses shortly after 6 pm and arrested two suspects in connection with the incident with the help of other law enforcement partners. A handgun was recovered from the suspects.
The identities of the suspects or the nature of their involvement in the shooting were not clear at the moment. An investigation is going on into the circumstances that led to the gunfire. Officers, however, are not looking for additional suspects in the case.
Investigation
District Superintendent Lewandowski noted that the school is fully cooperating with the investigation. "We express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the victims. We are deeply saddened by this incident and will work to support the family, classmates, and staff as much as we can," Lewandowski added in the statement.
According to its website, South Education Center caters to 200 students. It is a school that offers special education programs and an alternative high school, with students as young as prekindergarten. A part of District 287, it provides services to 11 school districts across the Minneapolis area.
