Police: Fatal Alabama school shooting accidental

A shooting at an Alabama high school Wednesday has left one student dead and two other people wounded, police and firefighters told local media.

The shooting took place at Huffman High School in Birmingham, a statement from the city’s school district said. Police told reporters that they believe the shooting was accidental, according to AL.com. One student died on the way to the hospital and another was in critical condition. A staff member who was wounded was treated at the high school and released.

Birmingham City Schools issued a brief statement on the incident, saying: “Two students were involved in a shooting during dismissal today at Huffman High School.”

“The school was placed on a brief lockdown, and police were called to the scene. Students have been released and police are actively investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting,” the statement read.

The shooting comes exactly three weeks after police say a former student opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in south Florida, killing 17 people in one of the worst school shootings in history.

It is the first school shooting since that incident took place, and the third this year that left students dead. An ongoing Washington Post analysis has found that more than 150,000 students attending at least 170 primary or secondary schools have experienced a shooting on campus since the Columbine High School massacre in 1999.