Police confirm that a Mount Vernon teen has died, and sources say another teen was wounded during a mid-morning shooting Thursday.

Mount Vernon school district officials confirmed the deceased student was a ninth grader at STEAM Academy.

"Please be assured that the health, safety, and welfare of our students and staff continue to be our highest priority and we will take all necessary and appropriate steps to ensure that our schools continue to be a safe learning environment for our students," wrote Dr. K Veronica Smith, Mount Vernon acting superintendent of schools in a statement to the community.

The district immediately put eight schools into a precautionary lockout.

Counselors, psychologists and social workers were available to students Thursday and will continue to be for the rest of the week.

The incident unfolded about a mile from the school outside the Levister Towers around 10:30 a.m.

Mount Vernon police officers and firefighters immediately began to aid the victim, who was then transported to Montefiore Mount Vernon emergency room. 

The victim was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the emergency room.

It came as a shock to Marie who was working at the Mount Vernon Neighborhood Health Center around the corner.

"I just couldn't believe it because I never heard any shots or anything I guess because I was inside of the building," said Marie.

Community advocate Jesse Van Lew expressed outrage over another youth gun violence incident.

"Parents have to take responsibility too. Why isn't the youngster in school?" asked Jesse Van Lew, founder of Save Mount Vernon.

It's a traumatizing situation for one young man who shared how his brother was fatally shot in this same neighborhood years ago when he was 18 years old.

"You would rather take each other out because you're beefing over what five blocks in the different direction," said JoJo, whose brother was killed by a shooter in Mount Vernon.

Detectives from the Mount Vernon Police Department are investigating this incident with the assistance of the FBI Safe Streets Task Force and the Westchester County Police Real Time Crime Center.

The Mount Vernon Police Department is withholding the victim's name due to their age and notification to the family.