(Update at 5:15pm) Police say the two students who were shot are both 12 years old. One was shot in the shoulder, the other in the abdomen. Neither injury is life-threatening, and both boys are in stable condition.
Police also say the student suspect died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
(Update at 1:45pm) A middle school student opened fire at Nevada’s Sparks Middle School Monday morning, killing a teacher who tried to intervene and wounding two students. Police say the suspected shooter is also dead.
The two wounded students are in stable condition at a local hospital. One went through surgery. Family members have identified math teacher Michael Landsberry as the man killed trying to protect students.
“By my evaluation, (Landsberry) was a hero, trying to intervene,” said Reno Police Department Deputy Chief Tom Robinson at a late-morning news conference.
The first reports of the shooting came to police at 7:16 AM. “It was over in less than 5 minutes,” Robinson said, adding that 150 to 200 officers were on the scene from local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.
“The best description is chaos,” Robinson said about those five minutes, but then added that after that it was a very orderly evacuation of Sparks Middle School. "Some (students) were tripping over each other, they wanted to get out of there so bad. But the vast majority of them were very orderly, walking together.”
Washoe County Schools Superintendent Pedro Martinez says he’s always thought about the possibility of a shooting at one of his schools, "but I don't think you ever realize how it is going to affect you until it happens."
The school will remain closed for the rest of the week during the investigation.
Another press conference will be held at the Sparks Police Department at 4 PM.
(AP update 11:45 a.m.) Police say a student at Sparks Middle School opened fire on campus, killing a staff member who was trying to protect other children.
The suspected gunman is also dead, and authorities say no shots were fired by law enforcement.
Two other students were critically injured in the violence that erupted around 7:15 a.m., shortly before classes began Monday. One is out of surgery and the other is doing well, according to police.
Police said between 150 and 200 officers responded to the shooting.
Students from the middle school and next door elementary school were evacuated to the nearby high school, and classes were canceled.
At the evacuation center, parents walked with their arms around their children, some of whom were in tears.
Police say the shooting happened on the school's campus, but outside the school building itself.
The school enrolls about 700 students in 7th and 8th grades.
(AP update 11:20 a.m.) -Police say a Sparks Middle School staff member and a student they believe is the likely shooter are the two people dead in this morning's Nevada school shooting.
(AP update 10:04 a.m.) - Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval says his office is receiving regular reports on the shooting at Sparks Middle School.
He said the Nevada Highway Patrol is assisting at the scene.
Police say two people are dead and two more are injured.
Washoe County School District Police didn't immediately offer details of the identities of the dead. Spokeswoman Angela Rambo of Renown Regional Medical Center says two boys are in critical condition.
Police said the school is "all clear" and the suspect is "down," but offered no further details. The shooting happened on the school's campus, but outside the school building itself, according to police.
Sandoval issued a statement after hearing about the shooting, saying he was saddened to learn of what he called "the horrific shooting" and extended his thoughts and prayers to those affected.
The Sparks police department says it believes the shooter has been "neutralized."
Police are holding a press conference this hour about the shooting.
The Reno Gazette-Journal reports that a 12-year old boy was shot just as classes began at the school.
Students have been evacuated and moved to Agnes Risley School.
Police are advising parents to pick their children up there. Police have set up a command post in front of Sparks Middle School, and traffic in the area is blocked.
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