Arizona: Two teen girls found shot dead at school in Phoenix suburb

(Reuters) - Two 15-year-old girls died on Friday in a shooting in an isolated area of a high school campus in a Phoenix suburb and were found with the gun beside them, police said.

Police were not seeking a suspect in the shooting at Independence High School, and its students and surrounding community faced no threat, said Glendale police spokeswoman Tracey Breeden.

She said it was too early to determine if the incident involved a suicide.

After a report of gunfire on Friday morning at the school in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, police rushed to the school and found the two girls under a covered patio in an isolated area of the campus, Breeden said.

Each girl had a single gunshot wound and were declared dead at the scene, with the gun beside them, she said.

"Anytime you have a tragedy with young people, there is nothing to feel good about in that situation," Glendale Union High School District Superintendent Brian Capistran said at a news conference.

Authorities placed the school on lockdown, leaving students in their classrooms to issue updates on social media as anxious parents rushed to a nearby Wal-Mart store where they waited to be reunited with their children.

"Our hearts remain with the students, educators and families of Independence High School and the entire Glendale community," Arizona Governor Doug Ducey said in a statement.

ABC15 showed aerial footage of the hexagon-shaped high school, with its sports field empty and the street in front of the campus shut down.

Independence High has roughly 2,000 students, school district representative Sara Clawson said. She could not confirm if the two teens shot were students at the school.