Schoolyard routine turned into chaos Thursday at a DeKalb County elementary when children began running and parents began getting reports with the words that have become one of their nightmares: active shooter.
It turned out the shots that struck 10 students at Wynbrooke Traditional Theme School came from a BB or pellet gun, and no injuries were life-threatening.
Shortly after lunch, children were on the playground at the Stone Mountain school when shots came from a wooded area adjacent to the playground.
Not knowing exactly what was going on, panicked parents rushed to the school to pick up their children.
Tarik Edmondson was among the first to arrive. “You just panic and you want to get your child,” he told media assembled at the entrance.
Barbara Madison, who lives nearby and had rushed to get her niece, said, “My heart dropped when I heard about it.”
The shots appear to have come from a position away from the school grounds, a statement from the district said. It is not clear if the students were targeted. DeKalb County School District police were still searching Thursday afternoon for the person who fired them.
District officials said there will be increased police presence at the school Friday.
Neither school officials nor school police would confirm if students will be allowed on the playground today. A suspect had not been identified.
The access road to the north of the school complex was blocked by police. There’s a small playground on that side of the school where kindergartners and first-graders often play — away from the bigger kids. The school goes up to fifth grade. There wasn’t much police presence near the playground designated for older students.
The school system did not give the ages of those who were shot.
Nine students were taken to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston and one was picked up by parents, according to according to hospital spokeswoman Ayana Isles. She said all were in good condition and none had to stay in the hospital.
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."
A statement signed by Principal Jermain Sumler-Faison said, “There was never a threat of anyone getting into the school building and the remaining students were not injured.”
Several parents told reporters they got very little information from school officials.
“I got a text from Channel 2,” a woman who wouldn’t give her name said. “If it wasn’t for the news, I wouldn’t have known anything.”
Student Mya Mark said she was at lunch when she saw an ambulance pull up to the school.
"I was scared," she said. "I didn't know what to do."
Kevin Johnson said his son was struck in the back by a pellet or BB. The kindergartner was expected to be released from the hospital Thursday, as his injuries weren’t life-threatening.
Johnson was grateful for the quick response of emergency workers and said he’s glad it wasn’t a real gun.
The school was put on a level two lockdown, which means all classroom doors are locked, students and staff are not allowed to leave the classroom and all visitors and vendors in the building must immediately report to the main office.
The Orchards subdivision runs along the north side of the school. Several police vehicles were stationed Thursday on Orchards Walk, the main road into the subdivision, as officers appeared to investigate homes on that side of the school.
Asia Simone Burns and Alyssa Pointer contributed to this article.
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