SANTA FE (WASHINGTON POST) - Three people were killed and 15 others were injured when gunfire erupted early Thursday (Dec 7) at a New Mexico high school, according to media reports.

KOB-TV reported that the alleged shooter is also dead, but said it was unclear whether the shooter was included in the reported fatalities.

The shooting happened at Aztec High, a school with about 1,000 students near the Colorado border.

The San Juan County Sheriff's Office told KRQE-TV that deputies were working to evacuate students to safety and were searching the school buildings.

The shooting took place a week before the fifth anniversary of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, the deadliest school shooting in US history.

On Dec 14, 2012, a man opened fire at Sandy Hook, killing 20 children and six staff members.

In the small community of Aztec, worried parents rushed to city hall to meet their children.

The police department in nearby Bloomfield locked down school buildings as a precaution, according to the department's Facebook page.