One student was injured in a shooting during the first day of full-time classes at an Arkansas middle school on Monday morning.
The incident at the Watson Chapel Junior High School in Pine Bluff had forced the district into another emergency lockdown, despite recently resuming in-person learning after months of coronavirus lockdown restrictions.
“This was an isolated incident and all students are safe at this time,” the school district wrote in a statement.
“The parent of the student hurt has been notified so if you have not been notified by the school your student is safe and secure.”
“The police are not letting anyone in and out of the buildings. You will not be allowed to come get your student at this time,” the statement continued.
Chief Kelvin Sergeant said Pine Bluff Police Department officers arrived at the scene three minutes after they received the first reports about the shooting at around 10am.
A 15-year-old student was found in serious condition in a hallway near the office, and was rushed to Little Rock for further treatment.
The unnamed suspect, also a 15-year-old student, was found by a dog-team hiding behind a nearby house and was taken into custody.
Sergeant stressed that the school followed an active shooter protocol, and clarified that the incident is not an active shooter situation.
Investigators said that this is a targeted shooting, but did not release the details of the case nor the specific charges the suspect could face.
Moreover, they noted that the shooting seemed to have occurred while students were moving between classes, and a school resource officer was not present at the time of the shooting.
School officials are yet to decide the school’s reopening on Tuesday, but the chief confirmed that his office would deploy extra officers in the building should the in-person classes resume.