About four hours after five people were shot today near Therrell High School in southwest Atlanta, officers were speaking with a possible suspect.
"Investigators are actively working this case and are speaking with a possible suspect," Officer John Chafee said in an emailed statement.
That person's name was not released. By 8 p.m., law enforcement officers, including the FBI and U.S. Marshals, were leaving the scene of the shooting.
The shootings happened around 4 p.m. in the area of Panther Trail and Childress Drive, Chafee said. The injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, he said.
Those shot are believed to be Therrell students, a spokeswoman for Atlanta Public Schools said. No names were released.
The five people shot were transported to Grady Memorial Hospital, according to police. All five were in stable condition tonight, a Grady spokeswoman said.
It was not immediately known if the alleged shooter was also a student, but investigators were working several leads, according to Sgt. Greg Lyon. Police had not determined a motive late this afternoon.
Although the shootings did not happen on campus, Therrell High School was placed on lockdown for students participating in after-school activities, APS spokeswoman Kimberly Willis Green said. The school system later said on Twitter that all afternoon activities were cancelled at Therrell.
One student told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he and his brother saw a group of more than 20 students running. Then, the two heard at least five gunshots. The brothers ran to a nearby gas station, where they told a woman in a car to call 911.
Copyright 2014 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
