UPDATE 2:10 p.m.:
Indiana State Police say the suspect who showed up to a middle school with a gun, exchanged fire with police and then killed himself was a 14-year-old from the Richmond area.
Police gave more details about the Thursday morning shooting at Dennis Intermediate School in Richmond, Indiana in a 1:30 p.m. press conference.
“It breaks my heart to stand here and say the things I have to say to you,” Indiana State Police Supt. Doug Carter said.
A caller reported a “potential violent act” to police around 8 a.m., police said. Officers were able to arrive at the school before the shooter.
Once at the school, the suspect shot out the glass of one of the locked doors and went inside. Police followed and engaged in gunfire with the shooter. Shortly thereafter, the shooter shot himself.
Because the shooter was a child, police said they aren’t yet releasing his name.
Investigators are working to determine how the teen got hold of a gun.
Police stressed that the tip helped speed up police response time and prevented the shooting from potentially being much worse.
Richmond police, the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office and the Indiana State Police had officers responding to the scene.
ORIGINAL REPORT:
A possible school shooting was thwarted Thursday morning at an Indiana middle school when police received a tip and were able to intercept the teenage suspect, who shot and killed himself.
The teen exchanged gunfire with police outside Dennis Intermediate School in Richmond, Indiana, before turning the gun on himself, said Indiana State Police Sgt. John Bowling. There were no other injuries.
“Somebody knew something and they said something,” Bowling said.
Richmond police contacted Richmond Community Schools and had the school locked down before the suspect arrived, reported WHIO-TV. Police confronted the suspect outside the school, which is where the shots were fired.
Students were evacuated to Richmond High School.
Police don’t yet know why the teen targeted the middle school or whether he was a student.
The investigation is ongoing, Bowling said.
Richmond, Indiana is in the eastern part of the state near the Ohio state line, about 50 miles west of Dayton, Ohio.
WHIO-TV contributed to this report.
This is a breaking news story. Return for updates.
About the Author
