A male student who opened fire on police officers at a Tennessee high school was killed when they returned fire.
The incident unfolded around 3:15 p.m. on Monday when the Knoxville Police Department received a call about a possibly armed individual at Austin-East Magnet High School. When police arrived, they came in contact with a male student. The student retreated into a restroom, with authorities demanding that he come out. David Rausch, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation director, claims that the young man then fired shots at the officers, striking one of them. The officers returned fire, killing the teenager.
One KPD officer was hit at least once before being rushed to the UT Medical Center with serious injuries that required surgery. Another teen was taken into custody for questioning. Thankfully, no one else was harmed during the shooting. Rausch stressed that the incident is not considered a “school shooting” but rather an “officer-involved shooting.”
“This wasn’t a school shooting. This was an officer-involved shooting inside of a school, much different. At this point, the student hadn’t done anything with the firearm until the officers engaged,” Rausch explained. “It’s important to make that distinction.”
In a tweet, Austin-East Magnet High School confirmed that the school would be closed on Tuesday, April 13th, and Wednesday, April 14th.
Austin-East Magnet High School will not hold classes on Tuesday, April 13, and Wednesday, April 14.
— Knox County Schools (@KnoxSchools) April 12, 2021
Knox County Schools superintendent Bob Thomas also said that counselors would be available in the school building beginning Tuesday.
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