One dead and 11 injured as gunman opens fire at high school party

A gunman opened fire at a small-town high school party, leaving one dead and 11 others injured in North Carolina. 

Authorities were called to a home near Hickory – about 60 miles outside of Charlotte – around 12.45am Sunday over reports of multiple people shot. 

One of the twelve victims died, while another is in critical condition, according to the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office. The others remain hospitalized. 

No arrests have been made and police have not released information on potential suspects. 

It is also unclear what sparked the fatal shooting and exactly how many shots were fired. 

A teen who was at the party described a chaotic scene after bullets started flying. 

‘As soon as I heard the shots everybody started scattering off, ducking our heads, running off toward our cars toward safety,’ the teenager, who chose to remain anonymous, told WSOC. 

‘And I called my friend and he said call 911 I need help.’ 

A gunman opened fire at a small-town high school party, leaving one dead and 11 others injured early Sunday morning 

Investigators said there were as many as 100 people attending the party and most of them were from local high schools

Investigators said there were as many as 100 people attending the party and most of them were from local high schools, the outlet reported. 

The shooting is currently under investigation by the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office, special agents with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and the Hickory Police Department. 

The sheriff’s office has asked the public to come forward with any information related to the incident. 

During a press conference, Major Aaron Turk with the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office said the street where it happened is usually quiet. 

A local resident told WBTV that the event was a ‘pool party’ that night and that the ‘shooting occurred mostly outside and appeared to be random.’

During a press conference Sunday afternoon, Turk said a noise complaint call was made to the police regarding that same house earlier in the night, but they have yet to find a link between that and the shooting.  

DailyMail.com contacted the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office for more information.

This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.