Gunman kills six in U.S. Midwest

October 9, 2007 - 0:0

Six young people have died after a part-time police officer opened fire at a house in the Midwestern U.S. state of Wisconsin early on Sunday.

The shootings took place in the town of Crandon, in the north of the state.
The suspect, who was employed by the Forest County Sheriff's office, was reported to have been killed by a police sniper.
The gunman was named as 20-year-old Tyler Peterson. Police Chief John Dennee said that he also worked part-time as a police officer, although he was not on duty at the time of the shooting.
The incident occurred shortly before 03:00 local time, when the gunman opened fire at a house where a group of young people had gathered.
""The subject was located by law enforcement officers. The subject is deceased and is no longer a threat to the public,"" Sheriff Keith Van Cleve said.
A seventh youth is in critical condition in hospital.
""It's a pretty tragic situation here,"" said Forest County Supervisor Tom Vollmar, who lives just outside Crandon, a community of 2,000 people, about 225 miles (360 kilometers) north of Milwaukee.
Three of the victims were Crandon High School students, said schools Superintendent Richard Peters, and the other three had graduated within the past three years.
""There is probably nobody in Crandon who is not affected by this,"" Mr. Peters said, adding that students would be especially affected.
One of the dead was named as 14-year-old Lindsey Stahl.
Her mother, Jenny Stahl, said her daughter was staying at a friend's house.
""I'm waiting for somebody to wake me up right now. This is a bad, bad dream,"" Mrs Stahl said.
(Source: BBC)