Los Angeles (AFP) – Two people were killed and two boys critically injured in a school shooting in Nevada on Monday, according to officials cited by local media.

The shooter, reported to be a student, was one of those killed in the early morning incident, according to the Reno Gazette Journal, which cited one witness describing how he saw a fellow student shoot a teacher.

The shooting occurred at around 7:15 am at the Sparks Middle School in Reno, the Nevada city’s deputy police chief Tom Robinson told reporters, adding that the area was now deemed safe.

Two schoolboys taken to Renown Regional Hospital were listed in critical condition, said hospital spokeswoman Angela Rambo, cited by NBC news.

Kyle Nucum, 13, said his teacher saw another student with a gun, and ran to tell him to put it down, but was then shot, according to the Reno Gazette Journal.

“We were by the basketball court, and we heard a loud pop, and everybody was screaming,” Nucum told the newspaper, saying a teacher went to investigate. “I thought it was a firecracker at first. The student was pointing a gun at the teacher, after the teacher told him to put it down… and then the student fired a shot at the teacher and the teacher fell and everybody ran away. We ran across the field to get somewhere safe, and while we were running we heard about four or five more shots.”

Nevada governor Brian Sandoval said on his Twitter feed: “The schools are safe. The rest of the city is safe,” adding that his office was receiving regular updates.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who represents Nevada, added: “My thoughts are with teachers, parents and students at Sparks Middle School who experienced a traumatic morning.”

“Nevada mourns with them,” he said on his Twitter feed.

A police press conference was scheduled for 11:00 am.