Ohio school shooter a classmate, say witnesses

A schoolboy shot five classmates in a US high school before fleeing today. A suspect has been arrested.

The attack at the 1,100-student Chardon High School about 30 miles east of Cleveland, Ohio came at the beginning of lessons.

Pupils at the high school and middle school had already started their day when the shooting happened, but bus runs for elementary school children were stopped.

Parents of high-school students were told to go to pick up their children.

“We want to make clear that the students are safe,” a spokeswoman said, advising parents not to rush to pick up students because the area is “extremely congested. The lines are very long.”

An FBI spokeswoman confirmed that five pupils were injured when a shooter, described as a classmate, opened fire.

She said a suspect was caught near his car about half a mile from the school.

Chardon is a city of about 5,100 people.