Teen shot at Atlanta school; fellow student in custody

ASSOCIATED PRESS / WSB-TV

Authorities investigated the scene of a school shooting today in Atlanta. Authorities say a 14-year-old was wounded in a shooting at an Atlanta middle school and a suspect has been taken into custody.

ATLANTA » A 14-year-old student was wounded in a shooting at a middle school today, and a suspect was taken into custody, authorities said. No other students were hurt.

Police swarmed Price Middle School just south of downtown Atlanta after reports of the shooting at 1:50 p.m., while a crowd of anxious parents gathered in the streets, awaiting word on their children. Students at the school were kept inside for hours as their parents waited anxiously outside. By 5 p.m. children were being reunited with their parents.

Atlanta police spokesman Carlos Campos said the wounded boy was taken "alert, conscious and breathing" to Grady Hospital. Campos said investigators believe something occurred between the two students involved that may have led to today's shooting.

The suspect is also a student at Price and has been taken into custody.

Calls to the school district were not immediately returned.

Atlanta Fire Cpt. Marian McDaniel said the teen was shot in the back of the neck and a teacher was treated at the scene for minor cuts.

Shakita Walker, whose daughter is an eighth-grader at the school, said she received a text from her that said "Ma, somebody's shooting and somebody got shot." Walker, who works at another school, said she jumped in her car and was thinking "just hurry up and get there."

Walker said her daughter called to tell her that they were being kept in the gymnasium, but she said she was anxious to see her to make sure she was OK.

The fear and anxiety was palpable in the crowd, as one person yelled "Does anyone know what happened?"

Laquanda Pittman said she still hasn't heard from her sixth-grade son. She said she heard the news of the shooting on TV and immediately came to the school.

"All types of stuff went through my head. I'm wondering whether it was my child who got shot, is my child OK, did he see what happened?" Pittman said.

She said she just wants to see her son.

"As a parent, you just think you can send your child to school and you hope they come home OK," she said.