One student was killed and another was in critical condition after an accidental shooting during dismissal time at a high school in Birmingham, Alabama, police said.
At least two gunshots were fired, killing a 17-year-old female student and injuring a 17-year-old male student at Huffman High School, said Birmingham police Chief Orlando Wilson. He said police considered the shooting accidental, but did not elaborate.
Wilson told reporters he was “deeply moved” by the incident, having school-age children himself. “This should not happen in schools,” he said.
Huffman was placed on a brief lockdown and police were called to the scene when the shooting occurred. Authorities were in the process of questioning witnesses, and a weapon had been recovered, Wilson said.
The school has metal detectors that were functioning at the time, Wilson confirmed to the Associated Press. School resource officers were also on site at the time of the shooting, said Birmingham City Schools Superintendent Lisa Herring.
Huffman will be open Thursday, and counselors and police will be on campus, Herring.
The girl who was killed was about to turn 18, had been accepted into college and had aspirations to be a nurse, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said.
“We are not just talking about some person, (we’re) talking about losing part of our future,” he said. “Our hearts are heavy.”