School shooter apprehended at North Thurston High School, no one hurt

LACEY, Wash. -- A school shooter was stopped by a North Thurston High School teacher Monday morning at the school, law enforcement said, before anyone could be hurt.

North Thurston Schools tweeted at 7:50 a.m. that a school shooter, allegedly a 16-year-old student, was apprehended by staff.

Lacey police confirmed that no one was injured in the shooting.

The shooter allegedly held a cigarette in one hand and a pistol in the other before the shooting, and was wearing all black. Two shots were allegedly fired, one in a second-floor gym and another in the commons area of the school, police said. Officers said he fired the gun up toward the ceiling.

The 16-year-old suspected shooter transferred to the school a month ago, police said. Police searched the student's home following the shooting.

Students and police confirmed the shooter was tackled by a teacher, Brady Olson, who is being hailed early as a hero.

Courtney Schrieve, the North Thurston High School Spokesperson, said the hero teacher Olson is a "very brave man who probably saved a lot of lives today."

As kids left the school, they gathered at nearby Chinook Middle School and a Safeway grocery store. The Lacey Fire Department said that a "reunification center" for students and parents was at the north side of the high school stadium. All sporting events were canceled for Monday, the school said.

Multiple students tweeted about the incident. Student Bayleigh Dupre spoke with Q13 FOX News and said when she arrived at school, she saw people running out. People screamed "shooting," and the Dupre drove away from school.

Stephanie Golden, a mother of a student at North Thurston High School, said she received a phone call from the school alerting her to the news and immediately made her way there.

"It's traumatic," Golden said.

Golden said her daughter called, and told her mom she was safe. Golden has already heard reports about the possible hero teacher, and is praising his actions.

"It's heroism by this person," Golden said. "He potentially saved lives. He's a hero, that's for sure."

North Thurston High School is located at 600 Sleater Kinney Road near the border of Olympia and Lacey. About 1,400 kids attend the school.

Officers from the Lacey Police Department, the Olympia Police Department, the Thurston County Sheriff's Department and the FBI are investigating the shooting.