Georgia high school shooting leaves student injured, search for suspect ongoing

AUGUSTA, Georgia (AP) — A student was shot during a fight at a Georgia high school that escalated into gunfire Wednesday, authorities said.

Richmond County Sheriff Richard Roundtree told news outlets that the suspected shooter, a juvenile, remains at large following the shooting at Josey High School in Augusta.

One student was shot in the finger and transported to a hospital for treatment, sheriff’s spokesperson Kimberly Lee said. Augusta University Health confirmed to the Augusta Chronicle that it is treating one shooting victim for injuries that are not life-threatening.

Samaria Stallings, a junior, told the newspaper she was in class when she heard two gunshots inside the school. Stallings said her teacher locked the door and told the class to be quiet and contact their parents.

“I immediately called my mom because I was scared,” Stallings said. “We had to wait at least two hours and then the police came and pointed guns at us. … They were treating us like we were the ones who shot up the school.”

Stallings said deputies instructed the students to come out of the room with their hands up. “It was very traumatizing because this is not the first time we have had an experience like this and it’s very sad,” she said.

Sheriff Roundtree provided an account of the events, stating, “At 11:15 today, we did get a call about shots being fired inside the high school. Resource officers were already on the scene and were able to confirm at least one injury and at least one shot had been fired inside the school.”

He went on to clarify that the incident seemed to stem from an altercation between the students, with some of the details captured on video. Law enforcement authorities are in the process of reviewing the footage to gain a comprehensive understanding of the incident.

As the community comes to terms with this distressing occurrence, the primary focus now shifts to locating the shooting suspect. Authorities are actively engaged in efforts to identify and apprehend the individual responsible.