US school principal shot by student

A STUDENT walked into a rural American school with a gun yesterday and shot the principal several times before he was taken into custody. All the children were reported safe.

John Klang, principal at Weston Schools, was in critical condition when he was taken by helicopter from Reedsburg Area Medical Centre to UW Hospitals in Madison, hospital spokespeople said.

The student walked into the school at about 8am local time and shots were fired as people tried to get him under control, Melissa Nigh, the K-12 school’s dean of students, said in an interview on MSNBC.

Student Shelly Rupp said she heard five shots and ran out of the school, but turned around and saw Mr Klang as he was shot.

“He was laying on the ground in the hallway,” the 16-year-old said at a nearby gas station, where students and townspeople gathered following the shooting. “He had just a pile of blood by his leg.”

Ms Rupp said the shooter, whom she described as a freshman with few friends, came to school with a .22-caliber pistol and a rifle, but that a janitor wrestled the rifle away from him.

Authorities captured the suspect and no students in the school were hurt, sheriff’s Capt Michael Haifemann said.

No motive was known.

Students were sent home, although some remained at the school as part of the investigation, Ms Nigh said.

Ms Rupp said the shooter was “just weird in the head.”

“He always used to kid around about bringing things to school and hurting kids,” she said.

The shooting took place two days after a gunman took six students hostage in a Colorado high school and killed one before shooting himself.