At least four people have been killed and nine injured in a shooting at a high school in the US state of Georgia, law enforcement authorities said.
The suspect arrested after the shooting was a 14-year-old student at the school, authorities said at a news conference, AFP reported.
The teenager surrendered quickly after police intervened and "will be charged with murder," said Chris Hosea, director of the Georgia State Bureau of Investigation, where the shooting occurred. The four people killed were two students and two teachers, he added.
Earlier, it was reported that school officials sent a message to parents saying they were enforcing "strict seclusion after reports of a shooting."
After permission was given, parents were called to the school to reunite with their children, with long lines of cars seen outside.
The school is located near the city of Winder, about 70 miles northeast of Atlanta, the state capital.
U.S. President Joe Biden said he mourned the dead.
"Students across the country are learning how to cover up instead of how to read and write. We can't continue to accept this as normal," he said, referring to the increase in such attacks across the country.
School shootings have become a notoriously regular occurrence in the United States, where about one-third of adults own firearms and regulations on the purchase of even high-powered military-style rifles are lax.
Public opinion polls show that a majority of voters support stricter controls on the use and purchase of firearms, but the powerful gun-owners' lobby opposes additional restrictions and lawmakers have repeatedly failed to act.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland spoke about the shooting at a news conference, saying state, federal and local officials are investigating the case.
"I am heartbroken for the families who have been affected by this terrible tragedy," the top U.S. Justice Department official said.
Local television footage shows ambulances driving through the school grounds about two hours after the first report of the attack, and dozens of cars parked around the school.
A crowd of people could be seen on the football field, some of them gathered in a circle with their arms folded.
At least 384 mass shootings - defined as a shooting with at least four victims killed or wounded - have occurred in the United States this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
At least 11,557 people have been killed in gun violence. | BGNES
