1 dead in shooting at Tennessee high school

The Knoxville Fire Department says that they have trained for incidents like the one today at a local high school. 

Knoxville Fire Capt. D.J. Corcoran told CNN in an email that the department has trained with the Knoxville Police Department 's SWAT team for incidents like today's shooting at Austin-East Magnet High School.

"Unfortunately that training was used today when responding to Austin East high school," Corcoran said in the email. "As far as our response to the incident, it was a successful one."

He said this is the fifth fatality surrounding the high school in the last few months and the community is "devastated."

"Our hearts go out to the family of the deceased and to the officer and his family. Please pray for our community," he said.

The suspect in today's shooting at a high school in Knoxville was killed during an exchange of gunfire, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said Monday night.

Knoxville Police received a report of a person who was possibly armed with a gun at 3:15 p.m. at Austin-East Magnet High School, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch said. When officers arrived, he said they found the person in a restroom on campus.

Officers ordered him to exit the restroom, but he said the suspect refused to come out.

When they entered the restroom, Rausch said the suspect fired shots, striking an officer. At least one officer returned fire, killing the suspect who was later identified as a student, he said.

The student, whose identity was not released, died at the scene, Rausch said.

The injured officer was shot once in the leg and transported to a local hospital for treatment, Knoxville Police Chief Eve Thomas said during the news conference. 

"It's our worst fear, an active shooter in a school," Thomas said. 

Rausch, the TBI director, said this is not a "school shooting," rather it is an "officer involved shooting inside of a school."

"It's important to make that distinction," he said.

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation will continue its investigation into the shooting, he said, adding that any findings will be shared with the local district attorney.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation will hold a news conference tonight to providen an update on the investigation into the shooting at a Knoxville high school today. 

The agency said it is "gathering information and conducting interviews."

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is the leading the investigation into the shooting.

Austin-East Magnet High School in Knoxville, Tennessee, will be closed the next two days, according to a tweet from Knox County Schools.

The school district said no classes will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn said she is "heartbroken" over Monday's shooting at Austin-East Magnet High school in Knoxville.

"I am heartbroken to hear about the shooting at Austin-East Magnet School in Knoxville. My office has been briefed on the situation and I am praying for the community, including the officer, injured in the line of duty," she tweeted.

Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon says the officer injured in today’s shooting at Austin-East High School is "conscious" and "going to be okay."

Kincannon said she spoke to him and he was in good spirits.

Knoxville Police say that one person has died, one of their officers was injured and one person is in custody following a shooting at Austin-East Magnet High School today.

In a statement posted to their Facebook page, police say that officers responded to a report of a "male subject who was possibly armed in the school."

When he was approached, they say shots were fired and a Knoxville Police officer was struck at least once. He is at UT Medical Center and his injuries are not "expected to be life-threatening," the post said.

One male was pronounced deceased at the scene, the post said. There are no other known gunshot victims.

Police said that the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation will lead the investigation.

The school where the shooting happened provides academic and arts classes to more than 640 students in East Knoxville, according to information from the school's website.

The school is a Title 1 school, which is a federal program that provides financial assistance "schools with high numbers or high percentages of children from low-income families," according to the US education department.

"We are a Title I magnet high school with a performing arts focus that offers resources including visual arts, CTE and rigorous academic courses," Austin-East says on its website. "We also offer a variety of extracurricular activities ranging from sports to robotics."

The spring semester for Knox County Schools, Austin-East Magnet High School's district, began on Jan. 5. According to county policies, students could choose between in-person or virtual learning because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Students can utilize in-person, on-campus instruction with additional safety measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, or they can utilize our virtual learning program," the district said on its website.

There is "no active threat" at Austin-East High School, according to the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, CNN affiliate WVLT reports. 

WVLT reported that Knox Sheriff spokesperson Kimberly Glenn said someone from the department is heading to the hospital to check on the injured police officer. 

Special agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Nashville are on the scene of the shooting, the agency tweeted.

The agency said it will be assisting law enforcement at the scene.

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Correction: An earlier version of this post included the incorrect call letters for CNN's Knoxville affiliate. It is CNN affiliate WVLT. The post also included the wrong name for the sheriff's office. It is the Knox County Sheriff’s Office.