MINNEAPOLIS — Local and federal authorities are on the scene of a shooting outside a school in Richfield, a suburb of Minneapolis-St. Paul.
The gunfire occurred shortly after noon in the 7400 block of South Penn Avenue, according to emergency dispatch audio. That address is for the South Education Center, an alternative school.
Two people were shot, at least one critically, and the shooter or shooters were believed to have left the scene in a vehicle, allowing ambulances to arrive, the audio continued.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms confirmed that the shooting occurred "near a school in Richfield," the agency said in a tweet. "This is a developing situation."
In a tweet, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said, "I'm currently being briefed on the situation unfolding in Richfield. Our Department of Public Safety is in touch with local law enforcement, and we are monitoring the situation closely."
At 1:30 p.m. buses arrived to pick up students from Blessed Trinity Catholic School.
In September, a student brought a gun to the same school in his backpack. The student did made not threats to harm anyone, and "everything was handled swiftly," School District spokeswoman Rachel Hicks said at the time.
Hicks added that South Education Center, which serves 11 cities and is part of Intermediate District 287, phased out metal detectors, and they are no longer at school entrances. Also, the district in recent years removed all school resource officers and replaced them with student safety coaches to focus on building relationships and working on mental health issues.
Law enforcement agencies from across the metropolitan area are staged outside St. Richard's Catholic Church, while the parking lot across from the education center is surrounded with crime scene tape. Agencies on scene include the Hennepin County sheriff, and police from Eden Prairie, Richfield, Edina and Minnetonka, along with a Metropolitan Airports Commission Mobile Command Center.
Intermediate District 287 officials said the building is on a "hard lockdown" in a note to families and added that they're gathering information.
Officials with the Richfield school district were also reaching out to parents Tuesday.
Around noon, local police and emergency medical personnel "accidentally" arrived at nearby Richfield Middle School, Principal Erica Barlow wrote in a note to families. Officers clad in bullet-proof vests reportedly arrived with their guns drawn, Barlow wrote, but left "as soon as the mistake was realized."
"It is unlikely that many students witnessed the event, as they were in class at the time. However, it is important that you are aware of the incident in the event that your child hears about it, as some children may be deeply impacted by this type of news," Barlow wrote.
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(Star Tribune staff writers Eder Campuzano and Kim Hyatt contributed to this report.)
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