10 kids shot by ‘BB or pellet gun’ outside Georgia school

Ten students at an Atlanta-area elementary school suffered non-life threatening injuries after being shot by a BB or pellet gun while on the playground.

A statement from the DeKalb County School District says the shots fired Thursday at students of Wynbrooke Elementary Theme School in Stone Mountain “appear to have come from a position away from the school grounds.” The statement says county and district law enforcement are investigating.

A representative from Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Egleston Hospital said that all of the students they are treating have been reunited with their parents. Some have also been released.

Parents said the students were outside playing when the incident happened.

“He got hit in the back,” parent Kevin Johnson said. His son Kai was injured. “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.”

A 5th grader 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.”

School officials said there wasn’t a threat to anyone getting in the school building. Officers are still investigating and additional law enforcement will be at the school Friday. Below is the full statement from the district:

DCSD Police are investigating an event at Wynbrooke Elementary Theme School where ten students suffered non-life threatening injuries from what appears to be a BB or pellet gun. The students were transported to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston Hospital to be treated or picked up by their parents. The shots appear to have come from a position away from the school grounds. There was never a threat of anyone getting into the school building and the remaining students were not injured. The health and safety of our students is, and always will be, the number one priority at The DeKalb County School District. DeKalb Police officers are assisting DCSD Police in the investigation. Additional staff and DCSD police will be on-site tomorrow to ensure the safety of our students.