Student kills himself during lunch at Austin high school

AUSTIN — A student at an Austin high school has shot and killed himself as others gathered nearby for lunch.

School officials say no one else was harmed in the shooting shortly after noon Tuesday at Lanier High School. Junior Alex Hernandez told the Austin American-Statesman that the boy was sitting alone in a courtyard outside the cafeteria when he pulled out a handgun.

Superintendent Meria Carstarphen says in a statement posted on the Austin school district's website that the school was placed on lockdown before students were released to the custody of their parents.

She says counselors will be provided to meet with students. The student who shot himself has not been identified.

Officials are investigating how he got a gun onto campus, Carstarphen told the Austin American-Statesman.

Meanwhile, his friends tell Statesman.com he had posted a letter on Facebook that showed a photo of him with a gun to his head.