Bella Grint

TACOMA, Wash. - A student was shot to death at his high school as classes were about to start Wednesday morning, and police arrested another student found wandering in a nearby neighborhood, officials said.

Police said the suspected shooter fled the school shortly after the 7:30 a.m. shooting, but was arrested a few hours later.

The victim died of his wounds, said police Spokesman Mark Fulghum, but he did not know what may have prompted the shooting. The victim's name and age were not immediately released.

Fulghum said the suspect was found near his house, a few miles from the school. The suspected shooter is also a student at Foss High School.

"He was wandering in the neighborhood a few miles away," Detective Chris Taylor said. "How he got that far isn't clear."

The school was locked down and police worked to evacuate the building. By about 8:30, Tacoma School District spokeswoman Pam Thompson said police had secured the building and students were being sent home. Classes were canceled for the rest of the day.

One student who called the KOMO newsroom said he was herded into the gym with fellow students where they were placed in lockdown. He said the principal came in to inform them that a student had been shot.

Freshman Sam Sao, 14, said she was in the lunchroom, waiting for the bell to ring, when the shots were fired.

"Everyone was yelling, 'Get in the gym! Get in the gym!' " she said. "At first we thought it was a fight. Then the teachers started getting on the tables and screaming."

Jackie Phongsavath is a junior at the school and said the shooting happened around the corner from where he was standing.

"I thought it was fireworks, but it was probably three shots," he said. "I looked around the corner and saw someone laying on the ground and blood on the lockers."

He said that the victim was male, but didn't know who the shooter was.

Students will be sent home as soon as buses arrive, and parents have been told to come pick up kids who don't take the bus.

NEW: Victim and shooter both male students at Tacoma, Washington, school
• Police recover firearm
• Suspect did not resist arrest, taken to police station
• Motive unknown at this point
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TACOMA, Washington (CNN) -- A student who is suspected of fatally shooting another student Wednesday at their Washington state high school has been arrested, police said.

"He was taken into custody at 9:30 to 9:40," Officer Gretchen Ellis said. "A firearm was recovered."

The suspect did not resist arrest and was taken to the police station for questioning, she said.

The boy was shot inside the school around 7:30 a.m. (10:30 a.m. ET), about five minutes before classes were to begin. "We're not sure of the motive at this point," Ellis said.

"People came out of their classroom, and they heard something that sounded like fireworks, and they just saw the kid laying on the ground," a student told reporters.

"I saw a girl running out of the cafeteria just screaming that someone was going to shoot her. And then she ran down the stairs of the courtyard and just went home."

The boy was pronounced dead at a hospital, a police spokesman said.

The school was placed under lockdown until police had searched the building and determined there was no further threat to students, said Patti Holmgren, spokeswoman for the school system.

Buses took the school's 1,700 students to a nearby high school, where parents were to pick them up.

"We've never had anything like this, but we're prepared because of all the drills we do," Holmgren said.

Outside the school, the flag was hanging at half-staff in honor of the late President Ford.

-Kelly-

It's awful

Bella Grint

Yeah..that was my friend's high school too

MalloryKeaton

That's terrible.

Bella Grint

I know thanks for posting