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Two workers critically wounded in shooting at Kansas school

Investigators said the suspect shot two co-workers earlier in the day as they installed artificial turf on a playground at the school.

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Authorities arrested a suspect Tuesday in a shooting that critically wounded two contract workers outside an elementary school in suburban Kansas City.

The man was taken into custody outside a nearby home where authorities found a sport utility vehicle that was carjacked after the shooting at Sunrise Point Elementary School, according to Jason Rhodes, spokesman for the Overland Park Fire Department in Kansas.

Rhodes said that when police started to move in with armored vehicles, the suspect bolted from the back door of the home and was taken down. His name wasn't immediately released.

Image: Police investigate a double shooting in Overland Park
Police investigate a double shooting in Overland Park, Kansas on Tuesday.Cat Reid / KSHB

Investigators said the suspect shot the two co-workers earlier in the day as they installed artificial turf on a playground at the school. No students were at the school at the time, said Blue Valley School District spokeswoman Becky Miller.

The suspect had tried but failed to carjack another vehicle at a carwash before stealing the SUV, a black GMC Denali.

Police Chief Francis Donchez said the home where the suspect was arrested belonged to the owner of the SUV. He said it's unclear what led the suspect to go to that home but described it as "bizarre to say the least." Donchez said police never made contact with the suspect while he was inside the home but believed he was there because a dog came out of the house.

He said the victims of the shooting were undergoing surgery but remained in critical condition. Their names haven't been released.