[Final Update 10/24/2014 4:30 PM Central]
According to local law enforcement, there are two confirmed dead (including the shooter) at a high school in Marysville, Washington (outside of Seattle) and four injuries which have been transported to a nearby hospital. The shooting took place in and around the cafeteria of the school, reminiscent of the Columbine school shooting a few decades ago. There’s a live stream available here of the local news station covering the event with live video.
At around 10:30 AM, a student opened fire in the cafeteria area of the high school. Shortly thereafter the local police department received a 911 call from the school campus and responded. All we know at the moment about the perpetrator is that he was a student at the school, and they are now dead and the incident has stopped.
Eyewitnesses say that the shooter was using a “small” handgun, and had difficulty reloading the firearm — possibly indicating a jam. After reloading the gun they continued shooting.
Reports indicate that three shooting victims have arrived at area hospitals, including one victim who was shot in the head. Reports indicate that the victims are young and listed in critical condition, and as of 2:45 PM Central they are currently in surgery.
Authorities “are confident that there is only one single shooter,” Marysville police spokesman Robert Lamoureux told reporters.
He did not offer any details about possible injuries, but said there was only one fatality.
Given the close proximity to the November election, this incident will no doubt have a huge impact on the gun control proposals currently on the ballot in the state of Washington.
More information in the summary post. This is the final update.