GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The mother of a student we're told was shot in the face spoke to FOX 17 about the incident Tuesday, saying she's distraught as her 13-year-old son fights in the Intensive Care Unit. She wants to make it publicly clear her son did not shoot himself.
Chief Winstrom explained the victim was conscious, alert and communicating with officers after the shooting.
Grand Rapids police swarmed the Alger Middle School campus after the report of a shooting outside the school Tuesday afternoon.
Grand Rapids Public Schools Chief of Staff & Executive Director of Public Safety & School Security Larry Johnson and Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom held a press conference just hours after the shooting.
Johnson and Chief Winstrom say two students were outside in Alger Park around noon when one of the students was shot in the face.
Chief Winstrom told FOX 17 both students ran back to the school to get help. Surveillance video showed staff members provided immediate first aid and called 911.
Chief Winstrom says the student who was shot was conscious when they were taken to the hospital, and their injuries are not considered life-threatening.
Detectives and ATF agents found the gun and a shell casing lying in the park near where the students say the shooting happened. Investigators are working to determine how the gun, which was identified as a 9 millimeter handgun, ended up at the park.
"I bet that this gun probably has some sort of criminal history attached to it," said Chief Winstrom. "What we've seen is guns involved in serious crimes such as homicides, such as shootings, and sometimes even accidental discharges like this. Once we get the ballistics back on them, we match them to shooting after shooting after shooting so many times that we have had guns involved in homicides, that we've linked to over a dozen other illegal incidents. So sometimes it just taking one gun off the street makes all the difference in the world."
Both students are cooperating with police.
"A very, very scary incident," said Chief Winstrom. "And still, this is extremely traumatic for this child. I'm sure he'll be in the hospital for some time, there's no, there's no way to get shot with a bullet in the face and have it be anything other than a life changing traumatic experience. However, this child, I think, hopefully from what I'm hearing is going to make a recovery and hopefully makes a full recovery and has a very interesting, terrifying story to tell for the rest of his hopefully very long and successful life."
GRPS Security Chief Johnson says it is not clear how the students got a hold of the gun or why they were outside the school building. Johnson told FOX 17 the students at Alger Middle do not get recess time or outdoor release.
While both Chief Winstrom and Johnson said the shooting happened off school property, the webpage for Alger Park on the City of Grand Rapids website lists the park as public school property.
Because of the shooting Alger Middle School was placed on Code Red. Superintendent Dr. Leadriane Roby says the school will remain on Code Yellow for the day, keeping students inside.
FOX 17 crews on the scene witnessed several students being picked up by parents. Parents who spoke with us say they were not informed of the shooting or the Code Red by the district.
A message to parents from Dr. Roby was emailed out less than two hours after the shooting.
"We want to work with our parents and meet with our parents to give them additional information," Johnson said. "But we had to make sure that we were taking care of things that as they were unfolding."
The district brought in therapists and additional staff to help students cope with the shooting.
Superintendent Dr. Leadriane Roby announced Alger Middle School will be closed Wednesday to give students and staff time to process Tuesday's incident.
GRPS released the following resource guide for families, caregivers and staff:
Alger Middle - Resource Guide by WXMI on Scribd
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