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Student shot at Tennessee high school dies

  • Story Highlights
  • Student shot just before start of classes at Knoxville Central, police say
  • Suspect, another student, apprehended three blocks away
  • Attack not random, police chief deputy says
  • School canceled for day, lockdowns lifted, superintendent says
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(CNN) -- A student died Thursday after being shot at Central High School in Knoxville, Tennessee, police said.

Knoxville Police Chief Deputy Bill Roehl told reporters that the suspect, also a student, had been taken into police custody three blocks from the school soon after the shooting.

Police also recovered a weapon the suspect was carrying, Roehl said.

The incident occurred at 8:11 a.m., just before school began, the chief deputy said.

The victim was taken to University of Tennessee Medical Center, and died later.

Authorities did not release the name of the suspect or the victim.

Roehl said police believe the shooting was intentional and the victim was selected.

"This was not a shooting that was a random act. It was not random in nature," he said. "Both the suspect and the victim knew each other."

Following the incident, Central High School and surrounding schools were placed on lockdown.

Knox County Schools Superintendent James McIntyre said school officials were in the process of releasing the 1,400 Central High School students for the remainder of the day, and lockdowns at other schools have been lifted.

"It has obviously been a trying and tragic morning," McIntyre said. "It is a terrible tragedy, and it is a terrible tragedy that we work every minute and every day with our law enforcement partners to try and prevent."

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