One dead in Kentucky school shooting: governor

CHICAGO: A gunman killed one person and wounded several others Tuesday at a high school in Kentucky before being taken into custody, officials said.

The shooting occurred at the Marshall County High School in Benton, Kentucky, a small town about 120 miles northwest of Nashville.

"Tragic shooting at Marshall County HS...Shooter is in custody, one confirmed fatality, multiple others wounded...Much yet unknown," Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin said on Twitter.

The Kentucky Department of Education confirmed the one fatality. Local media reported that seven people also were injured. Three were airlifted to a hospital, according to local TV station WSMV.

State police said the scene had been "secured," and that a sheriff´s deputy had apprehended the shooter.

Students ran from the scene after hearing shots, the Marshall County Tribune-Courier newspaper reported on its Facebook page, adding that the school was placed on lockdown as the incident unfolded,

Students later were bused to a neighboring school where parents could retrieve them, it said.

"This is a tremendous tragedy and speaks to the heartbreak present in our communities," Bevin said in a statement. "It is unbelievable that this would happen in a small, close-knit community like Marshall County."