A 16-year old girl was shot and killed at the culmination of a hostage situation at Platte Canyon High School on 28 September. The assailant, who had taken six hostages, committed suicide by shooting himself. The other five hostages escaped unharmed.

The gunman reportedly had two handguns, at least one of which was owned legally by one of his brothers. The shooter left a suicide note.

In the last ten years, there have been at least 257 children and 201 adults have been killed in school shootings around the world. A further 860 children and adults have been injured in these shootings. 36 of the 49 incidents took place in the US. Click here for details.