Student opens fire on classmates

An 18-year-old student has opened fire at his Californian high school, wounding three classmates and two teachers.

He was shot by a police officer who engaged him in a running gun battle at the school in El Cajon near San Diego.

There was no immediate indication of what triggered Thursday's violence at Granite Hills High School, which came less than three weeks after two students were killed at a nearby school in Santee.

The suspect, identified as Jason Hoffman, was shot in the jaw and bottom, the most serious injuries stemming from the violence.

Shotgun pellet wounds suffered by the students and teachers were not life-threatening, hospital and police officials said.

Five other students and adults were treated for various other injuries, none of them serious.

Roger Pollock, 16, was in a maths class taking a test when he heard a rapid succession of about six shots.

"I heard my teacher say, 'Is that a skateboard?' I said 'Nope, that's not a skateboard. That's for real,"' he said.

Police Captain Bill McClurg said Officer Richard Agundez was stationed at the school, heard the gunfire and reported it by radio. He then found the suspect.

"They had a slight running gun battle at the school," Capt McClurg said.