At least one student died and three people were hospitalized with injuries after a gunman opened fire at Freeman High School in Washington State.

Officials said that a suspect was taken into custody after killing one student. Three other students were hospitalized at Sacred Heart Hospital, which confirmed there were three patients in stable condition there.

“The threat from the shooter has been eliminated”, Spokane Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer told local media.

In a subsequent interview, Mr Schaeffer told reporters that he did not have additional information about the identity of the shooter, including whether the assailant was a student. He said authorities were planning to conduct potentially hundreds of interviews to determine more.

Local media broadcasts showed anxious parents massing outside the school in long lines of cars.

Spokane schools were placed on lockdown with students later being evacuated from the school, with parents gathering to try and get information. The lockdown was lifted some time later.

The Spokane Sheriff's Office said that officers went room to room at the school and floor by floor to secure the building.