Police confirmed one person was shot at Pennsylvania’s Erie High School Tuesday, prompting the school to go into lockdown.
in a twitter post, Pennsylvania State Troopers Cindy Schick, Michelle McGee and Andrew Hacke said the shooter at Erie High School has fled the scene.
Pennsylvania State Police Troop E is assisting with an active shooter situation at Erie High School. As of right now the building is secured and the shooter has fled the school. There was one non life threatening injury sustained during the incident.
— Troopers C Schick, M McGee, A Hacke (@PSPTroopEPIO) April 5, 2022
The city of Erie earlier announced that the individual who was shot is in “good condition and has been transported to the hospital.”
@eriepolice confirm that a single individual at Erie High School has been shot. The individual is in good condition and has been transported to the hospital. More information to follow as we receive it.
— City of Erie, Pennsylvania (@CityofEriePA) April 5, 2022
Additionally, the city said via Facebook that all the students at Erie High School are safe. It is not yet clear whether the person who was shot was a student at the school.
Erie’s Public Schools earlier stated on Facebook that the building was “on hard lockdown with a police presence on campus,” warning people to stay away from the school until further notice.
Erie’s Public Schools had also said students will be sent home. According to the Erie Times Newsparents began arriving to pick up their children, with about 150 parents and students outside the school’s entrance just after 10 am The report said the situation “appeared calm.”
In a statement posted on Facebook, Erie Mayor Joe Schember called the Erie High School shooting “saddening.”
“My thoughts and prayers are with the students, teachers, administrators, and all the Police Officers who have secured the building,” he wrote. “What they all need right now is our love and support.”
The Erie Police Department did not immediately respond to Newsweek’s request for comment.
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The news of this latest shooting comes during a school year with especially high rates of violence in the United States. Newsweek previously reported that an analysis from Everytown for Gun Safety found 136 instances of gun violence on school grounds just in the first half of the 2021-2022 school year, nearly four times higher than the previous average. Meanwhile, data from Education Week showed there have been 21 school shootings since the beginning of this year.
Four years after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School tragedy in Parkland, Florida, which was one of the deadliest school shootings in history, some measures have been taken in schools to prevent gun violence. They include hiring more mental health professionals, implementing technology like metal detectors, and requiring clear backpacks so students cannot hide weapons in them.
However, gun control groups like March for Our Lives say the continued high rates of violence show these measures are not enough, urging President Joe Biden to implement more change.
“Under this president, who committed to ending gun violence in his campaign, gun violence remains sky-high,” March for Our Lives said in a statement. “We are compelled to speak out and demand that the president keep his promises to fight the gun violence epidemic.”
Update 04/05/22, 11:49 am ET: This story has been updated with additional information and background.