Three children and three other persons were killed in a shooting that took place on Monday at the Covenant school, a private Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee, United States, according to local reports. 

The shooter, described as a female who appeared to be in her teens, is also dead, said police spokesperson Don Aaron.

Local media outlets report that three of the students with gunshot wounds were pronounced dead after arrival at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, the medical centre said. 

The shooting triggered a massive police and fire response. All concerned parents gathered outside the school to wait for word from their loved ones. 

The Covenant school in Nashville, where the incident occurred, is a private Christian school for students in pre-school through the sixth grade when students are roughly 11 or 12 years old. 

According to its website, the school has approximately 200 students and successfully adopted an “ active shooter “program in 2022. 

Tennessee’s House Democratic caucus, in a statement, said its members are “ praying for the children and their families who were shooting victims at the Covenant School.” 

The caucus chairman John Ray Clemmons said, “Our thoughts are with the families of the entire school community and surrounding neighbourhood.” 

According to a CNN tally, the shooting is the 19th incident at a school or university so far this year that wounded at least one person.  

The Covenant school is a private Christian school founded in 2001 as a ministry of Covenant Presbyterian Church.