US school siege ends in bloodshed

BAILEY- A gunman took six girls hostage at a high school , using them as human shields for hours before he shot and fatally wounded a girl and then killed himself as a SWAT team moved in, authorities said.

The confrontation on Wednesday at Platte Canyon High School unfolded just a short drive away from Columbine, the site of one of the United States’ deadliest school shootings. The gunman, believed to be between 30 and 50 years old, was cornered with the girls in a second-floor classroom, and he released four of them, one by one.Park County Sheriff Fred Wegener said authorities decided to storm the classroom after the man cut off negotiations and set a 4 p.m. deadline.Wegener wouldn’t say what the man threatened to do.He said authorities used explosives as they entered the classroom, only to have the suspect fire at officers, shoot one of the girls and then himself.The man was not immediately identified – one official declared him a virtual John Doe – and the sheriff was at a loss to explain a motive.Authorities were investigating whether any of the girls were sexually assaulted, said Lance Clem, spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety.Nampa-APThe gunman, believed to be between 30 and 50 years old, was cornered with the girls in a second-floor classroom, and he released four of them, one by one.Park County Sheriff Fred Wegener said authorities decided to storm the classroom after the man cut off negotiations and set a 4 p.m. deadline.Wegener wouldn’t say what the man threatened to do.He said authorities used explosives as they entered the classroom, only to have the suspect fire at officers, shoot one of the girls and then himself.The man was not immediately identified – one official declared him a virtual John Doe – and the sheriff was at a loss to explain a motive.Authorities were investigating whether any of the girls were sexually assaulted, said Lance Clem, spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety.Nampa-AP