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Nevada police confirm two dead and two injured in middle school shooting Nevada police confirm two dead and two injured in middle school shooting
(35 minutes later)
Police say the two people killed in a school shooting in Nevada were a staff member and a student who was likely the attacker. Two people died and two others were injured in a Nevada school shooting on Monday.
Two other students were critically injured in the violence that erupted before classes began Monday at Sparks middle school in the town of the same name. Authorities said the staff member was trying to intervene. Police said one of the victims was a staff member at Sparks middle school in Sparks, east of Reno. Police chief Mike Mieras said the other person to have died was the suspect, who was thought to be a student.
The first reports of the shooting came in at about 7.15am, about 15 minutes before the first classes were set to begin. None of the victims have been identified, but officials said there are "no outstanding suspects".
Students from Sparks middle school and next door elementary school were evacuated to the nearby high school, and classes were canceled. Police said they received the first report of the incident at 7.16am local time on Monday. Classes were due to begin at 7.30am.
At the evacuation center, parents walked with their arms around their children, some of whom were in tears. Angela Rambo, a Renown regional medical center spokeswoman, said it was treating two boys who were in critical condition after the shooting.
"We came flying down here to get our kids," said Mike Fiorica, whose nephew attends the school. "It's really chaotic. You can imagine how parents are feeling. You don't know if your kid's OK." "It's a tragic day in the city of Sparks," said mayor Geno Martini in a press conference. He said the shooting was an isolated incident. "I want to reiterate again that the city's very safe," Martini said.
The shooting happened on the school's campus, but outside the school building itself, according to police. The middle school and the adjacent Agnes Risley elementary school were evacuated to Sparks high school, where parents could pick up students. Washoe County school district spokesman Charles Rahn said the middle and elementary schools would be closed for the rest of the day.
Angela Rambo of Renown Regional Medical Center says two boys are in critical condition. Nevada governor Brian Sandoval said in a statement: "I was deeply saddened to learn of the horrific shooting at Sparks middle school this morning. My administration is receiving regular updates and the Nevada highway patrol is assisting at the scene. Kathleen and I extend our thoughts and prayers to the victims and those affected by these tragic events."
Governor Brian Sandoval issued a statement after hearing about the shooting. State senator Harry Reid said: "My condolences go out to the victims' families and my thoughts are with the teachers, administrators, parents and students at Sparks middle school, who have experienced a traumatic morning. No words of condolence could possibly ease the pain, but I hope it is some small comfort that Nevada mourns with them. I stand by to be of any assistance if there is anything that can be done and I will continue to monitor the situation."
"I was deeply saddened to learn of the horrific shooting at Sparks middle school this morning. My administration is receiving regular updates and the Nevada Highway Patrol is assisting at the scene," he said. Sandoval extended his thoughts and prayers to those affected. In March 2006, a 14-year-old opened fire at Pine middle school, less than 10 miles away from the Sparks middle school. The teenager injured a 14-year-old boy and a girl of the same age.
The school, located in a working class neighborhood, enrolls about 700 students in seventh and eighth grades. At the evacuation center, parents walked with their arms around their children, some of whom were in tears. "We came flying down here to get our kids," said Mike Fiorica, whose nephew attends the school. "It's really chaotic. You can imagine how parents are feeling. You don't know if your kid's OK."
The violence erupted nearly a year after a gunman horrified the nation by opening fire in Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, leaving 26 dead. The December 14 shooting reignited debate over how best to protect the nation's schools and whether armed teachers should be part of that equation.
Sparks, a city of roughly 90,000 that sprung out of the railway industry, lies just east of Reno.Sparks, a city of roughly 90,000 that sprung out of the railway industry, lies just east of Reno.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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