One student dead, another injured in Alabama school shooting

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A female student one month shy of her 18th birthday was shot dead and a 17-year-old male injured around dismissal time at a Birmingham, Alabama, high school on Wednesday. "At this particular time, we are considering this accidental," Birmingham interim Police Chief Orlando Wilson said Wednesday afternoon. "Right now we have a lot of unanswered questions." The shooting, at Huffman High School, prompted a brief lockdown, and school is canceled for Thursday. "We are asking questions from the staff, the students, anyone who was in that area," Wilson said. "This should not happen in schools."

Neither of the students involved in the shooting have been identified, though Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said the deceased female was a senior "who had aspirations and dreams to be a nurse." The male was released from the hospital Wednesday night. Huffman High School, one of Birmingham's largest, has metal detectors and they were working, Wilson said.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.