A police chief says the suspect in a Georgia elementary school shooting fired from inside the school and officers returned fire.

Police Chief Cedric L. Alexander said at a news conference that the gunman, who had an assault rifle, was able to get into Ronald E. McNair Discovery Learning Academy in Decatur on Tuesday by following behind someone who was authorized to be there.

Alexander says the 19-year-old suspect is being questioned.

The chief also says officers believed the suspect had explosives in the trunk of his car so they cut a hole in a fence to make sure students running from the building could get even farther away.

School Superintendent Michael Thurmond praised faculty and authorities who got students to safety, saying "all our children are safe."