A shooting at Warner Robins High School in Georgia on Wednesday resulted in one student being wounded, and a teenage suspect was apprehended shortly after fleeing the scene, according to police.
The incident occurred just one week into the new school year and involved two ninth-grade students. Warner Robins is located approximately 102 miles southeast of Atlanta.
Sheriff Matt Moulton of Houston County stated that a verbal altercation between two students in a school bathroom escalated into a physical fight, leading to a shooting at 2:15 p.m. The injured student was transported to a hospital for treatment of injuries described as non-life-threatening. The specific nature of the injuries was not disclosed.
A school resource officer was on-site and provided immediate medical assistance, including applying tourniquets, before emergency medical services arrived. The suspect fled the school grounds but was taken into custody about a half-mile away in a nearby neighborhood approximately one hour later, without further incident.
Moulton indicated that the school's threat protocol and associated training were followed during the event, which helped minimize the outcome. "Fortunately what could have been a much-worse incident was minimized to us only having one student injured," he said.
Houston County Schools Superintendent Richard Rogers announced that the school would be closed for students on Thursday and Friday. Staff will have Thursday off, with crisis counselors available for staff on Friday and for students on Monday to focus on healing.
It remains unclear whether the school is equipped with metal detectors. The sheriff declined to answer questions, citing the ongoing investigation.