Police responding to gunfire outside a high school in Buffalo, New York, say that a teen student has been stabbed and a security guard shot, with a manhunt now underway for the gunman.
Police said that there was a fight between two groups of people on the school grounds and that escalated into gunfire.
The shooting unfolded at around 3.45pm on Wednesday afternoon at McKinley High School on Elmwood Avenue, reported Buffalo News.
A law enforcement source told the outlet that one of the victims is a male student who suffered multiple wounds. He was rushed to Oishei Children’s Hospital for treatment where he is undergoing surgery.
Police spokesman Michael J DeGeorge later said that the boy had come out of surgery and was recovering.
“During surgery, it was determined that the 14-year-old male student was stabbed multiple times and not shot,” Mr DeGeorge said late on Wednesday.
The second victim is said to be a security guard who suffered a gunshot wound to the leg. His injuries are not thought to be life-threatening and he is receiving treatment at ECMC Hospital.
Buffalo police confirmed that they have not taken anyone into custody over the incident and a lockdown continued to be in place in the local area.
BPD Deputy Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said in a press conference outside the school that a “dispute” unfolded between two groups along the south side of the school building at the end of a walkway in the parking lot around the end of the school day.
He said that an individual pulled out a gun and fired multiple shots.
He did not specify whether the groups of people fighting were students of the school or not and provided no details about what led up to the dispute.
The police commissioner said that no one has been taken into custody but insisted that investigators are “making progress” and that they believe there is no “immediate threat”.
“We don’t believe there is an immediate threat at this time,” he said.
As of around 5pm, 100 students remained inside the school.
The school building had been cleared as safe and the lockdown was downgraded to a shelter in place with school officials now working out the best plan to reunite students with their parents.
The school had been plunged into lockdown immediately after the shooting and people at the nearby SUNY Buffalo State College were also urged to shelter in place.
SUNY Buffalo State College tweeted at 4.22pm that there had been reports of an armed person near to its campus.
The suspect was last seen near McKinley High School on Elmwood Ave heading towards 198, the university said.
In a series of follow-up tweets, the college urged people to continue to stay away from the campus and for anyone on-site to continue to shelter in place. All evening classes and campus activities have been canceled.
Buffalo police also told motorists to avoid the area between 198 and Amherst Street while law enforcement are on the scene at the high school.
Photos posted on social media reveal a heavy police presence in the area around the school while a police helicopter was seen circling overhead.
Crowds of parents gathered outside the school waiting for their children.
No further details about the shooter or the victims is currently known.
