A shooting at a New Mexico high school this morning left three students dead, including the gunman, according to police.
Deputies with the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office told reporters that the unnamed shooter was down but they did not release any additional information.
San Juan County Sheriff Ken Christesen told reporters at a morning press conference that three people believed to be students died Thursday at Aztec High School.
Students are led out of Aztec High School in New Mexico with their hands behind their heads after a shooting Thursday that claimed three lives
At least 15 people were reportedly injured in the school shooting this morning
Aztec High School is located in the Four Corners region and is near the Navajo Nation
The school, which has about 1,000 students, is in the Four Corners region and is near the Navajo Nation.
According to a statement from the Navajo Nation Office of the President and Vice President, 15 other people were injured in the shooting, which was first reported at around 8.30am local time.
But the New Mexico State Police have disputed the information about the additional victims, writing in a tweet: ‘no other injuries reported.’
‘It’s tragic when our children are harmed in violent ways especially on school campuses. We express our condolences to those families who have been harmed,” President Russell Begaye said. ‘Our prayers go out to all those affected by this tragedy and everyone throughout San Juan County. We are asking for prayers for these families.’
The New Mexico State Police confirmed in a tweet that the shooter was dead
Buses begin to move students and faculty from Aztec High School after the deadly shooting
Police escort buses moving students and faculty from Aztec High School Thursday
Authorities say the school was placed on lockdown and evacuated. Other schools in the area were also locked down.
Officers who responded to the scene after reports of a shooting had cleared all the buildings at Aztec High.
The sheriff’s office announced on Facebook that school buses will be loading students and heading to McGee Park in Farmington, where parents will be able to pick up their children.
State and federal authorities are investigating what led to the shooting and did not immediately release any details about the circumstances.
Aztec is a rural community of 6,500 people in the heart of northwestern New Mexico’s oil and gas country and near the Navajo Nation. Its main street is lined by old brick buildings that date back more than a century.