A 14-year-old student was shot in the head Thursday at an Atlanta school and police have taken into custody a suspect who has been tentatively identified as another student.
The victim was “alert, conscious and breathing,” when he was transported to Grady Memorial Hospital, according to Atlanta police.
The shooting occurred shortly before 1:50 p.m. outside Price Middle School near the Lakewood Heights neighborhood in southeast Atlanta, police spokesman Mr. Carlos Campos.
A teacher was also reportedly injured, perhaps after being trampled in the confusion following the shooting.
Police are still gathering details about what prompted the incident and the circumstances surrounding the shooting and officials are expected to hold a news conference later.
Price Middle School, along with nearby Carver High School and Slater Elementary School, were placed on lockdown and cordoned off by police. Parents were being asked not to come to the school to avoid any additional confusion in the area. Instead students were expected to be placed on buses and transported to nearby parking lots, including a nearby church for pickup.
At 3:45 p.m., a school official emerged and told the parents anxiously waiting for news of their children that “All children are safe.”
About 50 parents waiting for their children grew frustrated as they lined up on Benjamin Weldon Bickers Drive, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Ms. Lashanda Williams, whose son is in the in th7th grade, said “We want to know who the injured child is. We are all wondering, ‘What if it is our child?’”
Ms. Michelle Watts said she was called at about 2:15 p.m. by her 6th grade son’s teacher, alerting her that her son was OK but there had been a shooting.
“He is very scared. He said on the phone ‘Please come get me, please come get me,"" Ms. Watts said.
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