An armed man who took two girls hostage at a high school in Colorado yesterday shot dead one of the students and then himself when police stormed the classroom where he was barricaded.
The wounded girl was rushed by helicopter to hospital in Denver but died there.
Her classmate and fellow hostage was apparently not hurt in the incident, which drew comparisons to the 1999 Columbine massacre that took place 50 kilometres away in Littleton, Colorado.
Police raided the classroom building after the gunman, who initially held six people, broke off negotiations.
A parent shows a text message sent from his son inside the Platte Canyon High School in Bailey
The hostage situation began shortly before noon when the man walked into Platte Canyon High School in the small mountain town of Bailey and opened fire.
"We tried talking to this individual and had some success," Park County Sheriff Fred Wegener said.
"He started to release hostages, but eventually he gave us a deadline . . . and ceased talking to negotiators, at which time we decided a tactical solution needed to be done.
"Entry was made, the suspect shot one of hostages and then shot himself," Mr Wegener said. "That's what it looks like, although the investigation is still ongoing."
Earlier, officials had said the gunman was killed by police when they entered the school.
The gunman had told police he had explosives, but none were found at the scene, where investigators recovered a handgun and an empty backpack.
In 1999, students Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris went on a shooting rampage at Columbine, killing 13 people and wounding 21 others before they committed suicide.