Shooting kills one at US school

The school put a well-rehearsed evacuation plan into action

One student has been killed in a shooting at a high school in the western US state of Washington.

School officials in Tacoma said the gun was fired by a student shortly after 0715 (1515 GMT), before he fled.

There was no indication of the age of the student killed or of any possible motive. Later reports said police had arrested the suspect without a fight.

Classes were cancelled and students were heading home. The Henry Foss High School has about 1,700 students.

'He froze'

Students described scenes of panic as the shots were fired.

"He got shot - bang - and he just fell," eyewitness Malcolm Clark, 15, told the Associated Press.

"He just froze and he fell backwards into the lockers."

"He didn't scream or nothing. He didn't move when he hit the ground," said another 15-year-old, Josh Wilber.

The student was pronounced dead after being transferred to a local hospital.

But local police said they arrested the suspect, who was carrying a weapon, without a struggle at about 0930 (1730 GMT).

Gun control and security in US schools has been a key issue since two students at Columbine High School in Colorado shot and killed 13 people and themselves in April 1999.