DALLAS _ A 15-year-old girl was hospitalized Monday morning after a shooting was reported at a school in the Ellis County town of Italy.
A 16-year-old male suspect was taken into custody, per the Ellis County Sheriff's Office. Officials confirmed in a news conference that the suspect was a student, and he left the school building immediately after firing shots in the cafeteria.
Parents will be able to reunite with their children in the cafeteria of Stafford Elementary School, Italy ISD superintendent Lee Joffre said.
The school will partner with Region 10 to provide grief counseling for students, he said.
The Ellis County sheriff's office confirmed the shooting in a tweet about 8:30 a.m. They said at about 9 a.m. that students at Italy High School were being moved, "under guard," to a different location.
The injured girl, whose name was not released, was taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. Her condition is not known.
It was unclear whether the shooter and the victim knew each other.
Located just 15 miles south of Waxahachie, Italy bills itself as "the biggest little town in Texas." It has a population of about 2,000 and only one high school.
KXAS-TV (NBC5) reported a "massive" police presence at the school.
The Ellis County Sheriff's Department will lead the investigation of the shooting. Italy police, the Hill County Sheriff's Office, the Texas Department of Public Safety and Texas Rangers were all assisting.
