Girl shoots two students and a janitor at Rigby Middle School in Idaho before being disarmed by teacher

A sixth-grade girl has shot two students and a janitor at a middle school in Idaho before being disarmed by a hero teacher.

A sixth-grade girl shot two students and a janitor at a middle school in Idaho on Thursday before being disarmed by a hero teacher.

Local authorities said at a news conference that the girl pulled a handgun from her backpack and fired multiple shots inside and outside Rigby Middle School in the small city of Rigby in the state’s east, just after 9am.

A female teacher disarmed the girl and held her until police arrived, Jefferson County Sheriff Steve Anderson said, according to a report from the Associated Press.

Rigby is a small city in the state’s east. Picture: CBS Idaho

Two students and a janitor were shot in the limbs. Picture: LocalNews8

Sheriff Anderson said all three victims were shot in their limbs and were expected to survive.

In the US, sixth grade students are aged between 11 and 12.

Police said they were investigating the motive for the attack and where the girl got the gun. She is from the nearby city of Idaho Falls. Her name has not been released.

Our @localnews8 reporter Linda Larsen talked to Rigby Middle School 6th grader Lucy about the shooting.

Lucy says she was scared and wanted to cry but she decided to help calm her other friends first during the situation. pic.twitter.com/G3Q5NHQx9t

— Adrian Luevano (@a_luevano) May 6, 2021

“Touched by tragedy, but never broken. Trojan Strong ❤️” lines the fence of Rigby Middle School following this morning’s shooting. pic.twitter.com/mXJEZNpgm1

— Bre Clark KIFI (@BreClarkTV) May 7, 2021

“We don’t have a lot of details at this time of ‘why’ — that is being investigated,” Sheriff Anderson said. “We’re following all leads.”

Authorities responded to reports of gunfire and students were evacuated to a nearby high school.

“Me and my classmate were just in class with our teacher — we were doing work — and then all of a sudden, here was a loud noise and then there were two more loud noises,” 12-year-old Yandel Rodriguez told AP.

“Then there was screaming. Our teacher went to check it out, and he found blood.”

The students were evacuated to a nearby high school. Picture: Localnews 8

All three victims are expected to survive. Picture: @ndelriego/Twitter

Dr Michael Lemon from the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Centre told a news conference that the adult was treated for a bullet wound and released on Thursday.

He said the two students, both considered to be in a fair condition, were being held overnight. One may require surgery.

“It’s an absolute blessing (that they weren’t more seriously injured),” Dr Lemon said.

Jefferson County Prosecutor Mark Taylor told the AP decisions about criminal charges wouldn’t be made until the investigation is complete but that they might include three counts of attempted murder.

Originally published as Girl shoots two students and a janitor at Rigby Middle School in Idaho before being disarmed by teacher