WASHINGTON, January 22 (RIA Novosti) - One gun. Two students fighting. And a total of three people shot at a Texas college on Tuesday, including a maintenance man who reportedly got caught in the crossfire.
That’s according to the Harris County, Texas sheriff’s office.
The shooting occurred around 12:30 pm CT (5:30 GMT) at the Lone Star Community College campus in North Harris County, approximately 20 miles north of Houston, the sheriff’s office said.
Law enforcement officers were working late Tuesday to determine exactly what happened.
"I heard about six shots, and kids started rushing down the hallway and a few even came into our class," said freshman student Amanda Vasquez in an interview with CNN.
"For me, I was just trying to get under a table, get into the back corner of the room, and I called my mom just because I needed her to know that I was OK," she added.
In the aftermath of a series of mass shootings and in the midst of a nationwide debate over gun control, the campus had recently completed training exercises and drills on what to do in the event of a shooting.
The gunfire on Tuesday prompted a lockdown of the campus and nearly a dozen neighboring public schools.
Both students involved in the fight were injured and remained in the hospital in police custody Tuesday evening, said Major Armando Tello, acting Harris County Sheriff.
A woman who said she is the sister of one of the students involved in the fight told Houston TV station KPRC her brother was shot three times in the arm, leg, and stomach.
Police said the maintenance man, in his mid-50s, was shot in the leg and was hospitalized in stable condition.
Tello said four people were transported to the hospital for treatment, including one person who was treated for a medical condition. NBC News reported the person may have had a heart attack.
Investigators have not yet determined what started the fight.
