A 14-year-old boy has been shot in the head at Price Middle School in Atlanta, where shots rang out Thursday afternoon.
Police responded to a call about a student shot around 1:50 p.m., when they found a wounded student outside of a building, Atlanta Police spokesman Carlos Campos told My Fox Atlanta. The student was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he is alert, conscious and breathing. Atlanta Public Schools information officer Steve Alford told WXIA-TV that the gunshot wound was toward the back of the student's neck. Initial reports indicated the shooting victim was a girl, but Campos confirmed to WXIA-TV that the victim was a boy.
Campos told My Fox Atlanta that a suspect, temporarily identified as a student at the school, has been taken into custody. A teacher suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene, an Atlanta Fire Department spokesperson told My Fox Atlanta. The teacher was not shot, but may have been trampled in the confusion following the shooting, WXIA-TV reported.
The school was placed on lockdown as police investigated, a school spokesperson told My Fox Atlanta, and students were expected to be released at 4 p.m. Buses arrived to take students to the nearby Emmanuel Baptist Church, where parents could pick them up, WXIA-TV reported.
Nearby Atlanta schools, Carver High School and Slater Elementary School, are also on lockdown, My Fox Atlanta reported - and it is not clear when the lockdown period will end.
In a statement issued to WXIA-TV, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed expressed his concern and grief about the incident.
"Gun violence in and around our schools is simply unconscionable and must end," Reed said. "Too many young people are being harmed and too many families are suffering from unimaginable and unnecessary grief. I pray that the student who was shot today at Price Middle School in southwest Atlanta recovers quickly and can return home to family and friends."
"I would also like the students, faculty and families of the Price Middle School community to know that they have the full support of the City of Atlanta as they heal and move on from today's terrible incident," he added. "The city's Employee Assistance Program counselors are already at the school providing guidance for students, faculty and family members."
