STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. — A suspect has been identified after students were injured from pellet gun while they were playing outside at Wynbrooke Elementary School in Stone Mountain.
DeKalb County School District Police did not release the person's name, but they did say they secured a search warrant for their home, where they found a pellet gun they believe was involved in the incident.
Nine of the children were rushed to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Egleston Hospital and have since been released.
One kindergartner, Kai Johnson, was hit in the back.
“"He said he was playing, just what normal kids do, and he said all of sudden he felt like he got hit in the back and he hit the floor,” his dad Kevin Johnson told 11Alive.
A 5th grader also described what he saw.
"I remember seeing our teachers running down the hallway and seeing police officers running down the hallways and seeing them through the windows coming in and an ambulance," student Caleb Smith said. "And seeing those little carts that people lay on when they're injured."
Students injured by pellet gun at Wynbrooke Elementary
Wynbrooke Elementary has resumed normal operations, after having a heightened police presence at the school Friday. Even so, students were still able to play outside on the campus' two playgrounds with three DeKalb County School District Police officers standing by.
Many parents told 11Alive that they were upset they were not notified earlier about the frightening incident.
"The district apologizes to any and all parents who feel they were not adequately informed in a timely manner. The first order of business during an event like this is to ensure the safety of our students and staff. Once that goal is met, the next step is to make sure accurate, complete information is relayed to parents and guardians," a district representative told 11Alive's Joe Henke.
Alerts were sent out via text message and robo calls at 2:15 p.m., about an hour after reports of police activity at the school began to surface. Parents of the students who were hurt or directly impacted were notified at about 12:30 p.m. A physical letter was also sent home with students, the district said.
"While the investigation continues, we ask that parents know we take the safety of our students very seriously," the district said in a statement. "We also ask that they please make sure they are signed up for all available parent messaging alerts."
The investigation is ongoing and the district is focusing on preparing students for the Georgia Milestones testing, school officials said.
MORE HEADLINES |