Another mass shooting in US

– A teenage boy opened fire with a handgun at a Kentucky high school early on Tuesday, killing two fellow students and wounding more than a dozen people in the latest mass shooting to hit the United States.

The unnamed 15-year-old student, now in custody, is alleged to have carried out the attack at Marshall County High School in Benton, a small town in western Kentucky.

Two students of the same age died of gunshot wounds, while 13 other people were shot and five suffered other injuries during the shooting, Kentucky State Police said, adding that those hurt ranged in age from 14 to 18.

Students ran from the scene after hearing shots, local media reported, and the school was placed on lockdown as the incident unfolded.

They were later bused to a neighbouring school where parents could retrieve them, the Marshall County Tribune-Courier newspaper said.

Fourteen of those hurt were male and six were female. Four of them are still in hospital – three in “critical but stable” condition and one in “stable” condition, according to police.

The suspected shooter was apprehended in a “nonviolent” manner and will be charged with two counts of murder and multiple counts of attempted murder, Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin said.

One of the students died at the scene and the other after being taken to a hospital.

The shooter struck just as the school day was starting.

“A 15-year-old student armed with a handgun entered the high school and started shooting,” Kentucky State Police Commissioner Rick Sanders said.

A 911 emergency call was placed soon after and first responders were quickly at the scene.

The suspect “was apprehended by the sheriff’s office officer that was the first to arrive,” Sanders said.

State police had recently been in the area “teaching students and faculty how to respond to an active shooter situation, and everybody in that high school reacted appropriately”, he said.

A school resource officer (SRO) – a law enforcement officer responsible for safety at the school – was present.

“The SRO went through a tough time this morning,” Sanders said. – AFP