DeKalb County School District police are investigating an incident at Wynbrooke Elementary School in Stone Mountain after 10 students were shot by a BB or pellet gun, the school district confirmed Thursday.
The shots appear to have come from a position away from the school grounds, a statement from the district said.
According to Channel 2 Action News, someone fired the weapon from a wooded area while the kids were playing outside on the playground. It is not clear if the students were targeted.
Nine of the students, who sustained non-life-threatening injuries, were taken to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston, according to spokeswoman Ayana Isles.
Isles confirmed those students are in “good condition” and the discharge process has begun. Another student who was hurt was picked up by parents, according to the school district.
Police are looking for the shooter but have released no more information.
“Any information regarding leads could impact our investigation and cannot be shared at this time,” Bradley Gober, DeKalb Schools police chief, told AJC.com.
Credit: ALYSSA POINTER / ALYSSA.POINTER@AJC.COM
Credit: ALYSSA POINTER / ALYSSA.POINTER@AJC.COM
Kevin Johnson, the father of 6-year-old Kai Johnson, told AJC.com he rode in the ambulance with his son as the boy was taken to the emergency room.
“I got a call from the nurse that said he could've gotten hit by a rock,” he said. “When we came up (to school) they said it was all by pellets.”
The pellet pierced the kindergartner's body but was stopped by his rib cage, his father said.
“I’m just glad it wasn’t a real gun because I could’ve lost my son today,” Kevin Johnson said.
Class was still in session when the reports of an “active shooter” came in.
Caleb Edmonson, 11, told Channel 2 that his class was at lunch when a teacher asked a janitor to lock the doors and close the blinds.
“People started to think it was a drill,” Edmonson said, “but then like a couple of minutes later we saw an ambulance and police officers coming in, running down our hallways.”
Credit: Alyssa Pointer / ALYSSA.POINTER@AJC.COM
Credit: Alyssa Pointer / ALYSSA.POINTER@AJC.COM
“There was never a threat of anyone getting into the school building and the remaining students were not injured,” the school district’s statement said.
DeKalb County police are assisting the school district police in the investigation.
— Please return to AJC.com for updates.
