TOWNVILLE, S.C. — A teenager killed his father at their home Wednesday before going to a nearby elementary school and opening fire with a handgun, wounding two students and a teacher, authorities said.

The teen was apprehended within minutes of the school shooting in this rural town about 110 miles northeast of Atlanta. One of the students was shot in the leg and the other in the foot, Captain Garland Major of the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office said. Both students were male. The female teacher was hit in the shoulder.

Before the shooting at Townville Elementary about 1:45 p.m., the teen gunned down his 47-year-old father, Jeffrey Osborne, at their home about 2 miles from the school, authorities said.

‘‘We are heartbroken about this senseless act of violence,’’ said Joanne Avery, superintendent of Anderson County School District 4. She canceled classes for the rest of the week.

The shooter never entered the school building and was apprehended by firefighter Jamie Brock, a 30-year veteran of the Townville Volunteer Fire Department, according to Anderson County sheriff’s Lieutenant Sheila Cole.

Authorities did not reveal the teen’s age at a news conference, and Cole said she didn’t have his age. The Anderson Independent-Mail quoted Anderson County Sheriff Chief Deputy Keith Smith as saying the teen is 14 and could be charged as a minor.

Authorities did not release a motive for the shooting and said they weren’t sure whether the students and teacher were targeted.

One of the students and the teacher were released from the hospital Wednesday evening. Greenville News earlier reported that a 6-year-old was airlifted to Greenville Memorial in critical condition. Greenville Memorial spokeswoman Sandy Dees confirmed that a child was taken to the hospital but would not release any further information.

Television images showed officers swarming the school after the report of an active shooter. Some were on top of the roof while others were walking around the building. Students were driven away on buses accompanied by police officers.

Associated Press