A youth opened fire at a private Christian school on Monday in the US state of Wisconsin, killing two people in the final week before the Christmas break.
The gunman also died, police said.
Madison police chief Shon Barnes offered no details on the victims but said other people were wounded at Abundant Life Christian School.
Police previously said five people had died, but later said that information was incorrect.
At least six other people were wounded, according to police, who said children were among the dead and wounded in the shooting, which took place in the state capital of Madison. The injuries, police said, “range from minor to life-threatening.”
The shooting took place at Abundant Life Christian School, a private institution that teaches some 400 students from kindergarten through 12th grade, the Madison Police Department said.
The police department said in a written statement that at least three people were killed in the incident, including the suspected shooter, who was identified only as a juvenile student at the school. The shooter was found dead inside the school when police arrived.
At least six people were transported from the scene to area hospitals, police said in the written statement.
“Today is a sad, sad day, not only for Madison but for our entire country,” Mr Barnes told reporters.
He said police were alerted shortly before 11am and did not fire their weapons when they went into the school. Mr Barnes suggested the gunman died by suicide.
“They found the person responsible who was down, deceased,” he said.
Police blocked off roads around the school. Federal agents were at the scene to assist local law enforcement.
“We are praying for the kids, educators, and entire Abundant Life school community as we await more information and are grateful for the first responders who are working quickly to respond,” Wisconsin governor Tony Evers said in a statement.
In a statement, the White House said President Joe Biden has been briefed on the shooting and officials were in touch with authorities to provide support.
Abundant Life Christian School is non-denominational.
John Diaz De Leon, who lives nearby and attends the adjacent City Church, told WMTV-TV he heard an intense blare of sirens as police responded.
“I didn’t know there were that many squad cars in Madison. We saw a few guys with long guns. They went into the school with a dog,” Mr De Leon said.
“Later on I saw groups of kids coming out of the school into the church sanctuary.”
There have been 322 school shootings this year in the US, according to the K-12 School Shooting Database website. That is the second highest total of any year since 1966, according to that database - topped only by last year’s total of 349 such shootings.– Associated Press/Reuters