Memphis police officers prevented a "potential mass shooting" when they shot and detained a gunman attempting to enter a Jewish school in the city on Monday, the department's police chief said.

Police said they received a report shortly after noon that a white man was at Margolin Hebrew Academy and shot his handgun outside the school. No one was injured from the shots fired, and the suspect drove away before police got there, according to the Memphis Police Department.

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After a broadcast was sent out to look for the suspect's vehicle, a maroon Dodge pickup truck with California plates, officers were told he might be in Bartlett, Tennessee. That information proved to be accurate.

Police said they pulled the suspect's car over, and he exited the car with a handgun, prompting a police officer to shoot him. The suspect is in the hospital in critical condition.

"I am proud of the vigilant and quick response of MPD officers who mitigated a potential mass shooting situation today," Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis said. "Many thanks to our neighboring jurisdictions for also providing critical information to stop the suspect's actions."

Memphis Assistant Police Chief Don Crowe commended the school for its safety which thwarted the suspect's efforts.

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"Thankfully, that school had a great safety procedure and process in place and avoided anyone being harmed or injured at that scene," Crowe said at a press conference, per Fox News, which added that while the suspect's name has not been released, a state congressman revealed that he is a former student of the school.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating the shooting.