Holly MatkinMemphis, TN – A 13-year-old boy remains hospitalized after being shot by another teen at Cummings K-8 Optional School on Thursday morning.
The shooting occurred on the school campus at approximately 9:15 a.m. on Sept. 30, the Memphis Police Department (MPD) said in a press release shortly thereafter.
Police responded to the scene and found a 13-year-old boy suffering from a gunshot wound, WMC reported.
He was rushed to Methodist Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in critical condition.
The shooter, later identified as another 13-year-old male, jumped into the passenger seat of a vehicle and fled the scene, the Commercial Appeal reported.
He ultimately turned himself in at the MPD station on East Raines Road, which is approximately seven miles away from the school, according to WMC.
SHOOTING UPDATE: This is a look at the scene at Cummings Elementary after police say a young person was shot and taken to the hospital. Parents are piling up to get answers. Officers are clearing the building and students and staff are being relocated. No word on a shooter. pic.twitter.com/0uaYlZjxGm
— Tony Sloan FOX13 Memphis (@TonySloanTV) September 30, 2021
Police cleared the building and relocated students and faculty to Metropolitan Baptist Church, WMC reported.
The last students were reunited with their families at approximately 12:40 p.m.
#Breaking parents now being reunited with their children who were in Cummings Elem during a shooting. pic.twitter.com/OWPiHOMJDk
— Kelly Roberts (@KellyRobNews) September 30, 2021
The gunshot victim underwent surgery and is expected to make a full recovery, Shelby County Schools Superintendent Dr. Joris Ray told WMC on Thursday.
The shooter will face an attempted first-degree murder charge, according to the MPD.
Neither of the teens have been identified, WMC reported.
NOW: Parents and family members are waiting to be reunited with their children following a shooting at Cummings Elementary school. One young boy, 13, was shot and rushed to the hospital. pic.twitter.com/CxO3K7oJfY
— Rebecca Butcher 🦋 (@RebeccaB_TV) September 30, 2021
MPD Deputy Chief Don Crowe said school security footage showed the attack occurred inside a stairwell in the school building, the Commercial Appeal reported.
No other students were around at the time, according to Deputy Chief Crowe.
Investigators are working to determine how the teen acquired the firearm, the Commercial Appeal reported.
Ray said the school is equipped with medial detectors, which were in use on Thursday morning.
“This has to stop,” Ray told reporters outside the church, according to WMC. “We need to look at our laws. This has to stop. No way a child should have a gun. This must stop. But we need the community to help us, help our children.”
Deputy Chief Crowe said investigators tracked town the driver who gave the alleged shooter a ride away from the scene, the Commercial Appeal reported.
The deputy chief said the driver was “truly an innocent person that was trying to do a favor to a 13-year-old in need.”
He would not comment on whether or not the driver took the suspect to turn himself in at the police precinct, the Commercial Appeal reported.
