COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Cobb County Schools confirms that two people were shot at McEachern High School Thursday and the shooter, or shooters, are still on the run.
Police said the shooting happened in the parking lot and neither victim is a current student. Neither victim has life-threatening injuries. Both have been taken to Kennestone Hospital.
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Powder Springs police were also at the scene helping Cobb Schools police with the response.
Police said they secured the campus and were working to determine the identities of the shooter or shooters. They do have descriptions of the suspects, police said.
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NewsChopper 2 was over the scene, where there were dozens of law enforcement officers and vehicles.
Later Thursday afternoon, police said the school was determined to be safe and secure.
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“It was never an active shooter,” Cobb County Police Chief Stuart VanHoozer said. “When we get these calls, we don’t know if this is an active shooter or not, so we treat it like it is.”
Video shot by a student and shared with Channel 2 Action News showed several officers with long guns headed inside the school. There are at least three ambulances and a fire truck at the scene as well.
Channel 2′s Michele Newell obtained video of the fight that police said led up to the shooting.
In the video, teenagers in sweatshirts get in a physical fight before one in a black sweatshirt appears to start shooting. The teens scatter and one falls to the ground.
A Channel 2 Action News photographer at the scene talked to a student, who said she was pulling in for a fourth-period class when she saw dozens of officers flood the campus.
“The cops were just running by and they were like, ‘Leave. Everybody go!’” Jacqueline Delasancha said.
Samantha Scott said her son was walking out to the parking lot when he heard shots fired.
“He actually was on his way to the parking lot, he is a senior, so he gets out early,” Scott said. “He was on his way to the parking lot and he had to turn around. That’s when he heard the gunshots.”
She said the situation was nerve-wracking.
“When I take my kids to school, I always pray over them, asking God to protect them and keep them safe, because we have things like this that occur,” Scott said. “You see incidents like this on the news, you never think it would be your child calling you. When it hits home it is scary.”
In December, two teens were arrested after police said they brought guns to McEachern. A photo of a weapon was airdropped to other students.
Brendan Andino and Ruben Cumberland were both charged with disruption of public school education, loitering/prowling and reckless conduct.
According to warrants, neither Andino nor Cumberland were students at the school.
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