One student shot, one arrested at high school in downstate Mattoon

MATTOON, Ill. — A teacher subdued a male student who fired shots and wounded another student in a central Illinois high school cafeteria on Wednesday morning, police said.

Mattoon police Chief Jeff Branson and Mattoon School Superintendent Larry Lilly said the shooting happened at Mattoon High School about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. The suspect, a male student, is in custody, police said, and the injured student is in stable condition at a local hospital.

The names and ages of the suspect and the student who was shot weren’t immediately released.

Mattoon Community Unit School District 2 said on its Facebook page that it is working with emergency workers to determine what happened.

“We are saddened that this event has happened and we will provide counseling to students in need,” the district said in a statement. “We appreciate the quick response of school staff and first responders. Most importantly, we offer our thoughts and prayers to the injured student and all who are affected by this tragedy.”

The Mattoon Journal-Gazette reported that police were clearing the high school room by room. Students were being bused to a nearby school to be picked up.

School officials said their buildings were on a soft lockdown as a precaution.

Mattoon is about 180 miles south of Chicago.