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"Fatal shooting at US Amish school"

A gunman has shot dead three girls and injured seven others before killing himself in an attack on an Amish school in the US state of Pennsylvania.

The gunman entered the class and ordered all the boys and some adults to leave. He then tied up the girls and began shooting them in the head.

Police named the killer as 32-year-old truck driver Charles Carl Roberts IV. He is not believed to be Amish himself.

The attack is the third shooting at a US school in the past week.

In the latest shooting, the gunman lined up the girls in front of the blackboard, tying their feet using wire or plastic cuffs.

"It appears that when he began shooting these victims, the victims were shot execution style in the head," said Pennsylvania police commissioner Col Jeffrey Miller.

The attack happened at a one-room school for Amish children aged six to 13 in the village of Paradise near Nickel Mines in Lancaster County.

The Amish are the Anabaptist Christian descendants of German settlers who reject many types of modern technology in their effort to lead a life true to holy scriptures.

They restrict the use of cars, telephones and television to varying degrees.

Col Jeffrey B Miller said the gunman entered Georgetown School in the morning, armed with an automatic handgun and shotgun.

He told the boys to leave, along with a pregnant woman and three women who had young infants with them.

He then tied up the girls and barricaded the doors with large pieces of wood.

Police arrived at the scene at about 1045 (1445 GMT) and set up a cordon around the school, Col Miller said.

The officers tried hailing the gunman on their car loudspeakers, but were unable to make contact, he said.

The Associated Press news agency quotes Col Miller as saying a person who visited the school passed on a warning from the gunman that he would open fire unless the police withdrew.

As the message was going through shots fired in rapid succession were heard, Col Miller said.

Police stormed the building, breaking the windows to enter. But by the time they got there three girls and the gunman were dead.

Seven people were found injured, at least three of whom were shot in the head.

'Normal behaviour'

Roberts was a local milk tanker driver who often picked up milk from Amish farms in the area.

A father of three, he had worked his night shift as usual on Sunday night, finishing at 0300 on Monday.

His wife said he had seemed perfectly normal as he walked his children to the school bus at 0845, as he did every day.

However, when his wife returned to the family home around mid-morning she discovered suicide notes that he had written to each of his children.

The police said there were indications that he was motivated by an incident that happened some 20 years ago, but refused to go into details.

In a separate incident, two Las Vegas schools, one high school and one elementary school, were temporarily locked down while police hunted for a teenager spotted carrying a gun on the high school campus.

These latest incidents come at the end of a week of gun-related violence in US schools.

Last Wednesday a 16-year-old girl died when an armed man, who also killed himself, took six students hostage at a Colorado high school.

And on Friday, a head teacher at a high school in Wisconsin was killed when he confronted an armed 15-year-old student as he entered the school.

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Machie's comment coming soon...

A gunman has shot dead three girls and injured seven others before killing himself in an attack on an Amish school in the US state of Pennsylvania.

The gunman entered the class and ordered all the boys and some adults to leave. He then tied up the girls and began shooting them in the head.

Police named the killer as 32-year-old truck driver Charles Carl Roberts IV. He is not believed to be Amish himself.

The attack is the third shooting at a US school in the past week.

In the latest shooting, the gunman lined up the girls in front of the blackboard, tying their feet using wire or plastic cuffs.

"It appears that when he began shooting these victims, the victims were shot execution style in the head," said Pennsylvania police commissioner Col Jeffrey Miller.

The attack happened at a one-room school for Amish children aged six to 13 in the village of Paradise near Nickel Mines in Lancaster County.

The Amish are the Anabaptist Christian descendants of German settlers who reject many types of modern technology in their effort to lead a life true to holy scriptures.

They restrict the use of cars, telephones and television to varying degrees.

Col Jeffrey B Miller said the gunman entered Georgetown School in the morning, armed with an automatic handgun and shotgun.

He told the boys to leave, along with a pregnant woman and three women who had young infants with them.

He then tied up the girls and barricaded the doors with large pieces of wood.

Police arrived at the scene at about 1045 (1445 GMT) and set up a cordon around the school, Col Miller said.

The officers tried hailing the gunman on their car loudspeakers, but were unable to make contact, he said.

The Associated Press news agency quotes Col Miller as saying a person who visited the school passed on a warning from the gunman that he would open fire unless the police withdrew.

As the message was going through shots fired in rapid succession were heard, Col Miller said.

Police stormed the building, breaking the windows to enter. But by the time they got there three girls and the gunman were dead.

Seven people were found injured, at least three of whom were shot in the head.

'Normal behaviour'

Roberts was a local milk tanker driver who often picked up milk from Amish farms in the area.

A father of three, he had worked his night shift as usual on Sunday night, finishing at 0300 on Monday.

His wife said he had seemed perfectly normal as he walked his children to the school bus at 0845, as he did every day.

However, when his wife returned to the family home around mid-morning she discovered suicide notes that he had written to each of his children.

The police said there were indications that he was motivated by an incident that happened some 20 years ago, but refused to go into details.

In a separate incident, two Las Vegas schools, one high school and one elementary school, were temporarily locked down while police hunted for a teenager spotted carrying a gun on the high school campus.

These latest incidents come at the end of a week of gun-related violence in US schools.

Last Wednesday a 16-year-old girl died when an armed man, who also killed himself, took six students hostage at a Colorado high school.

And on Friday, a head teacher at a high school in Wisconsin was killed when he confronted an armed 15-year-old student as he entered the school.

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Machie's comment coming soon...

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.. I think teachers should receive a $20,000 sign on bonus, hazzard pay and a volumptuous life insurance policy like soldiers, just for good measure. It's a warzone out there!

Just today on the playground, a little boy was threatening another that he was going to kill him with his pretend knife. I thought nothing of it, just that they were playing like boys play with all that cops 'n robbers/cowboys 'n injuns stuff. I suppose with all the terroristic threatening and shooting and stabbing going on these days, this little boy's threats cause a bit of a stir within the school administration.

I don't know, I think I'd be more worried about that other 6 year old boy who was choking the bejesus out of another kid last week!

Be interesting to hear what that suicide note says, i know the Amish community often gets discriminated against and made fun of so this "incident" 20 some years ago might be something he did to them or they did to him.

Happens far too often (once is too often) and something really needs to be done about it

Turns out it was 4 girls, according to Radio 1 this morning.

Sad stuff.

Now turns out its 5 :(

Another one died? oh dear :( Why didn't the women try and stop him?