Gunman kills 2 students at high school

The Associated Press

Students hid in their classrooms, some behind locked doors or in closets, as a gunman opened fire Thursday inside a New Mexico high school, killing two classmates before he ended up dead.

Authorities and other officials in the small town of Aztec near the Colorado border have released fewdetails other than to say the shooter and two victims attended Aztec High School.

No other injuries were reported, and it was not clear if the shooter died by suicide or was killed by police.

Bryn Divine, a senior, said she was sitting at her desk in her history class when she heard gunshots erupt down the hall. At first, it sounded as if someone was swinging a metal baseball bat against the lockers.

Then she heard an announcer over the school intercom tell students: “This is not a drill.”

Sophomore Garret t Parker told Albuquerque television station KOAT that he also heard what he thoughtwas banging on the lockers. Then it got louder and closer.

Gov. Susana Martinez called the shooting a heinous and horrific act and told reporters that teachers, school staff and lawenforcement jumped in quickly to prevent more deaths. She didn’t providemore details.

Police responded to the school less than aminute after getting the initial calls, which came shortly after the start of the first period.

The community prepared for a prayer vigil Thursday.

Aztec is a rural town of 6,500 people in the heart of northwestern NewMexico’s oil and gas country and near the Navajo Nation. Its main street is lined by brick buildings that date back more than a century.