Iowa authorities said one student was killed and two others are in critical condition following a shooting that took place at a local high school on Monday.
Authorities said a 15-year-old male teen was killed in the incident, while two females, ages 16 and 18, still remain in critical condition at nearby medical facilities, Des Moines Register reported.
The Des Moines Police Department started to get calls about the incident around 2:48 p.m. local time, as the school was placed on lockdown and students were kept inside while police investigated.
At 3:30 p.m. local time, law enforcement allowed students to leave the building after getting an all-clear, according to the Des Moines Public Schools statement.
“I think we can all agree an event like this is everyone’s worst nightmare. Tonight, hug your students and love them,” East High School principal Jill Versteeg told families in a statement.
Authorities also said that the incident occurred outside the school building, but on school grounds.
“It’s a lot,” Des Moines Fire Department spokesperson Ahman Douglass said in a statement, according to Des Moines Register.
Des Moines Police Department Sgt. Paul Parizek said in a statement authorities detained multiple suspects of interest, adding he doesn’t know if the suspects are students.
“It is a punch in the gut that we have three kids in the hospital,” Parizek said. “But we are hoping for the best for them.”
Parizek also said that gunfire appeared to have come from a passing vehicle and shell casings have been recovered at the scene as well.
This latest incident comes just days after two staffers at a Kansas high school were injured in a shooting on Friday.
Authorities said the shooting happened in an office area where the school’s resource officer and administrator were shot and injured, with no students were harmed during the shooting.
The recent incidents happened as the case against Oxford High School shooter Ethan Crumbley and his parents, James Crumbley and Jennifer Crumbley, is ongoing.
Crumbley, 15, was charged with murder among other charges in relation to last November’s shooting in which four students died and seven others were injured.
“We live in an era when shootings in and near schools have become too common,” Des Moines Public School Superintendent Thomas Ahar said in a statement.
“Our staff and students are forced to train for these incidents and the trauma associated with the repeated drills and incidents will remain with them for years to come. It’s unfortunate that our state and our country have become a place where firearms are far too easily accessible. We remain committed to protecting our students and staff, but real change to gun laws and access would go a long way to help us.”
Updated 7:12 p.m.