A shooting at a Christian school in Madison, Wis., left five people dead, including the suspected shooter, and at least five others injured on Monday, authorities said.

Children were among the dead, authorities said.

The shooting happened at Abundant Life Christian School, a private institution that educates about 400 students in kindergarten through 12th grade, the Madison Police Department said on social media.

Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said during a news conference that at least five people were killed in the incident, including the suspected shooter, who he identified as a young man found dead by police when officers arrived. at school

At least five people were transported from the scene to area hospitals, Barnes said.

Video posted from the scene on social media showed a massive emergency response, including police vehicles, ambulances and firefighters.

"Multiple injuries have been reported," Madison police wrote on social media. "This remains an active and ongoing investigation."

It was not immediately known who carried out the shooting.

Gun control and school safety have become major political and social issues in the United States, where the number of school shootings has increased in recent years.

There have been 322 school shootings this year in the US, according to the K-12 School Shooting Database website. That's the second-highest total in any year since 1966, according to that database, surpassed only by last year's total of 349.