by ALEX JOHNSON and THE ASSOCIATED PRESS – (NBC News) - A campus police officer shot and critically wounded a knife-wielding 14-year-old student Wednesday during a confrontation witnessed by dozens of classmates at a Reno, Nevada, high school, authorities said.
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Reno Police Chief Jason Soto told reporters that the student, a boy, was listed in critical condition with a gunshot wound sustained at Hug High School. He said the boy got into an altercation with a classmate and began threatening other students with a knife.
A lockdown was lifted by mid-afternoon, and all students were reunited with their families, Soto said.
David Houston, a lawyer for the family, said there were still "many questions to be answered as to what happened and what could have been done to avoid the use of lethal force" during the incident.
"There are many questions that require answers," he added in the statement. "The family thanks all for their support and prayers. All matters will be fully investigated and all answers necessary sought out."
NBC News is not naming the student because he is a minor.
Robert Barragan told the Reno Gazette-Journal that two male fellow students were fighting outside the library before a police officer shot the knife-wielding student in the shoulder.
Reno police Officer Tim Broadway said more than 40 students witnessed the incident, including many who shot cellphone video that police want to see before the public.
"There's multiple videos out there," Broadway said. "There's some very disturbing video out there. But there are other events that led up to this incident, so please don't react to those."
The Gazette-Journal reported that it reviewed video showing a student wielding a knife before being wounded.
The shooting was reported about 11:30 a.m. (2:30 p.m. ET) at the school on the city's north side, a few blocks from U.S. Highway 395.
The district issued a statement before 1 p.m. calling the campus "currently stable and secure with heavy police presence."