School shooting injures 3 in US (Lead)

Washington March 20 (IANS) A high school shooting on Tuesday has injured three people including the shooter according to officials.

"There has been a shooting at Great Mills High School. The school is on lockdown the event is contained the Sheriff s office is on the scene " St. Mary s County Public Schools said on its website Xinhua reported. According to the local sheriff s office the gunfight started shortly after school started when a male student fired at a female student in the hallway injuring another male student in the process. Police who shortly arrived at the scene exchanged fire with the shooter while students of the school were evacuated to another school to be reunited with their parents. School principal Jake Heibel has warned of a shooting threat weeks prior to the incident but concluded that the threat was "not substantiated" after investigation. It is unclear whether the threat was linked to Tuesday s shooting. The incident comes just one month after a similar tragedy in a high school in Florida that claimed the lives of 17 people. --IANS ahm/vm