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Gunman opens fire in Texas high school, killing up to 10

SANTA FE, Texas (AP) — At least one gunman opened fire at a Houston-area high school Friday, killing eight to 10 people, most of them students, authorities said.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said he could not be precise about the number of deaths at Santa Fe High School, which went on lockdown around 8 a.m. Two suspects believed to be students were in custody.

It was the nation’s deadliest school shooting since the February attack in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17 people and re-energized the gun-control movement after surviving teens launched a campaign for reform.

The school district confirmed an unspecified number of injuries but said it would not immediately release further details. A school police officer was being treated at a hospital, the sheriff said, but there was no immediate word on the extent of his injuries.

“We hope the worst is over, and I really can’t say any more about that because it would be pure speculation,” Assistant Principal Cris Richardson told reporters at the scene.

Aerial footage showed students standing in a grassy field and three medical helicopters landing at the school in Santa Fe, a city of about 13,000 residents roughly 30 miles (48 kilometers) southeast of Houston.

School officials said law enforcement officers were working to secure the building and move students to another location. Students were being transported to another location to reunite with their parents.

One student told Houston television station KTRK in a telephone interview that a gunman came into her first-period art class and started shooting. The student said she saw one girl with blood on her leg as the class evacuated the room.

“We thought it was a fire drill at first but really, the teacher said, ‘Start running,’” the student told the television station.

The student said she did not get a good look at the shooter because she was running away. She said students escaped through a door at the back of the classroom.

Authorities did not immediately confirm that report.

The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it was responding to the shooting.

In the aftermath of the Feb. 14 attack on Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, survivors pulled all-nighters, petitioned city councils and state lawmakers, and organized protests in a grass-roots movement.

Within weeks, state lawmakers adopted changes, including new weapons restrictions. The move cemented the gun-friendly state’s break with the National Rifle Association. The NRA fought back with a lawsuit.

In late March, the teens spearheaded one of the largest student protest marches since Vietnam in Washington and inspired hundreds of other marches from California to Japan.

A man hugs a woman outside the Alamo Gym where parents wait to reunite with their children following a shooting at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas, on Friday, May 18, 2018. (Michael Ciaglo/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Law enforcement officers respond to an active shooter in front of Santa Fe High School Friday, May 18, 2018, in Santa Fe, Texas. (Steve Gonzales/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Santa Fe High School freshman Caitlyn Girouard, center, hugs her friend outside the Alamo Gym where students and parents wait to reunite following a shooting at Santa Fe High School Friday, May 18, 2018, in Santa Fe, Texas. (Michael Ciaglo/Houston Chronicle via AP)
People embrace outside the Alamo Gym where students and parents wait to reunite following a shooting at Santa Fe High School Friday, May 18, 2018, in Santa Fe, Texas. ( Michael Ciaglo/Houston Chronicle via AP)
A woman prays in the grass outside the Alamo Gym where parents wait to reunite with their kids following a shooting at Santa Fe High School Friday, May 18, 2018, in Santa Fe, Texas. (Michael Ciaglo/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Law enforcement officers respond to Santa Fe High School after an active shooter was reported on campus, Friday, May 18, 2018, in Santa Fe, Texas. ( Steve Gonzales/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Emergency Medical Service personnel walk in front of Santa Fe High School after a shooting on Friday, May 18, 2018, in Santa Fe, Texas. (Kevin M. Cox /The Galveston County Daily News via AP)
Police officers in tactical gear move through the scene at Santa Fe High School after a shooting on Friday, May 18, 2018, in Santa Fe, Texas. (Kevin M. Cox /The Galveston County Daily News via AP)
A woman reacts while making a phone call outside the Alamo Gym where parents wait to reunite with their children following a shooting at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas, on Friday, May 18, 2018. (Michael Ciaglo/Houston Chronicle via AP)
Santa Fe High School staff react as they gather in the parking lot of a gas station following a shooting at the school in Santa Fe, Texas, on Friday, May 18, 2018. (Jennifer Reynolds/The Galveston County Daily News via AP)
A Santa Fe Police officer consoles others after a shooting at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas on Friday, May 18, 2018. (Jennifer Reynolds /The Galveston County Daily News via AP)
A Pearland Police armored vehicle stands ready in front of Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas, in response to a shooting on Friday morning, May 18, 2018. (Kevin M. Cox/The Galveston County Daily News via AP)