Police in Tennessee have shot an armed man who they say tried and failed to enter a Jewish school in Memphis before firing his weapon outside it.

No-one at the Margolin Hebrew Academy-Feinstone Yeshiva of the South was injured in Monday’s incident, which began after noon (18:00 BST).

The suspect was later stopped by police and shot as he exited his vehicle. He is in hospital in critical condition.

A lawmaker representing the area said the gunman was a former student.

Congressman Steve Cohen also alleged the man was himself Jewish, though he did not specify the source of his information.

“I am pleased the academy had effective security and that the police acted quickly to protect students,” Mr Cohen, a Democrat, said in a statement.

A spokesperson for the Secure Community Network, an organisation that works with the school, also said the suspect was Jewish, according to CNN. They called the incident “personal in nature”.

The suspect was armed with a handgun, but could not gain entry to the school, Memphis assistant police chief Don Crowe said at a news conference.

The man is said to have fled the scene in a maroon pickup truck with California licence plates, but police tracked the vehicle to the adjoining city of Bartlett shortly thereafter.

The driver got out of the vehicle still armed, and a Memphis police officer fired his weapon and struck the man, Mr Crowe said.

“I personally truly believe we have avoided a tragedy,” he told the WREG-TV local station.

“I think the suspect was going to harm somebody before the day was over and that our officers were able to intervene and protect the citizens,” he said.

The suspect, who has not been identified, was taken by ambulance to a local hospital.

Authorities, led by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the FBI, are currently investigating a motive for his actions.