One dead as school student opens fire in café

The boy began shooting in the cafeteria at around 7.30am yesterday at Chardon High School, about 30 miles from Cleveland, Ohio, before fleeing the scene.

“Everybody just started running,” said 17-year-old Megan Hennessy, who was in class when she heard loud noises. “Everyone was running and screaming down the hallway.”

There was no comment yesterday on reports the student, a juvenile, had not fired indiscriminately but officials said a teacher had chased him from the building as the school went into lockdown.

An emergency cordon was thrown up around the site to ensure the suspect could not return while also preventing anyone from leaving as school buildings were searched and the injured taken to hospital.

FBI agents later said they were in possession of a handgun retrieved from the scene.

Tracker dogs were brought in to follow the suspect who fled on foot. He was apprehended about half a mile from the school, near his car.

An air ambulance transported two of the injured students, a boy and a girl, to hospital in suburban Cleveland while another three were taken by ambulance.

It was not revealed which of the students had died.

One student later told reporters he had heard that the suspect had posted a message on social networking site Twitter on Sunday threatening to bring a gun to school but the message was thought to have been a joke. School administrators later announced all classes were called off and grief counsellors were being brought in. Local churches announced candlelight services for parishioners to pray for those affected.

Chardon Schools Superintendent Joseph Bergant said: “We certainly hope those families know they’re in our thoughts and prayers.”