Two people are deceased and six more are injured following a shooting at Central Visual & Performing Arts High School located in St. Louis. The gunman, suspected to be in his 20s, was also killed after a shootout with the police. 

Officers were informed about the shooting around 9 a.m. on Oct. 24 as hundreds of students and faculty fled the campus. An onsite officer swiftly noticed the shooter, who was reportedly armed with a long gun, struggling to enter the school’s locked main doors. It’s currently unclear how the gunman was able to enter the building.

Within minutes of the report, officers were at the school running towards the sound of gunshots. They exchanged gunfire with the shooter, who was killed. The school was entirely blocked off by police, ambulances and a SWAT van by 9:30 a.m., according to the St. Louis Post Dispatch. 

The victims have yet to be identified, though we know a teenage girl and a woman were killed. 

“I’m heartbroken for these families who send their children to our schools hoping that they will be safe,” St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones expressed during a press conference. “Our children shouldn’t have to experience this, they shouldn’t have to go through active shooter drills in case something happens. And unfortunately that happened today.”

The shooter is also yet to be identified, according to Lt. Col. Michael Sack, St. Louis’ Interim Police Commissioner. Authorities believe they have located the suspect’s vehicle, which will undergo a search after bomb dogs do an initial check.

Eight people have been transported to local hospitals, of which one woman has been pronounced dead. 

It’s unclear at this time what the motive may have been, or if the shooter had any connection to the school.

U.S. Representative Cori Bush offered comfort at the press conference, stating “if you don’t know who to talk to, you can call our office. It’s okay to not be okay.”

Wentzville School District Superintendent Dr. Danielle Tormala released a statement regarding the tragedy, expressing that “my heart breaks for the St. Louis Public School District community, and my thoughts and prayers go out to all those impacted by today’s tragedy.”