Gunman kills 8 in Copley, Ohio
Members of the Copley, Ohio community hold a candlelight vigil at Copley Community Park in honor of seven neighbors who were killed August 7, 2011. Reuters

Investigators are working hard to figure out exactly what happened when an Ohio gunman went on a shooting rampage.

The gunman, who still has not been identified by police, killed 7 people, including his girlfriend. He also injured one more person.

He managed to shoot his victims in three homes and two backyards before being killed in an altercation with a police officer and a former police officer, the Associated Press reported.

The names and ages of the killed and wounded have yet to be released, as does the condition of the latter. Neighbors said one of the dead victims was an 11-year-old boy.

A school official said he was told two of the victims had been students at Copley High School. The principal of CHS, Cameron Ryba, confirmed this in a letter to parents on Monday. The letter also stated that counseling services would be available to students on Monday and Tuesday and the coming weeks.

"A young person's death is always tragic and sudden loss like this can have a profound effect on surviving students," Ryba stated in the letter. "It is important that we recognize this loss and offer help."

Several of the victims were from out of state, Copley police Sergeant Eric Goodwin said.

The shooting has devastated the township of Copley, located in northeastern Ohio.