A woman and a teenager have been killed by an attacker in their 20s at a school in Missouri. A locked door and a security guard's quick response buys the police time. There is an exchange of gunfire, which the shooter does not survive.
At least three people died in a shooting at a school in the US state of Missouri - including the shooter. An adult woman and a teenager were also killed, police chief Michael Sack said. Several people were injured in the attack in St. Louis and are being treated in the hospital.
"As far as we know, there are no other threats, so the community is safe here," Sack said. The background of the incident and the identity of the shooter are still unclear. According to Sacks, the attacker was "about 20 years old".
Seven security guards were on site, one of the men noticed that a man wanted to gain access to a locked door. The security force then informed the school management. The police received a call about an active shooter shortly after 9 a.m. (local time) and were on site a short time later. "It was the security guard's timely response and the fact that the assailant failed at the door that bought the police time," Sacks said.
"There was an exchange of gunfire in which the suspect was hit." Escaping students spoke of an attacker with a "long gun," according to the police chief. The officials then heard shots and eventually encountered the attacker.
Deadly gun attacks in schools are common in the United States. In May, an 18-year-old shot dead 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in the small Texas town of Uvalde. On Monday, a youth pleaded guilty to the killing of four classmates at his Michigan school last year.
