Pennsylvania high school student injured in on-campus shooting, suspect at large

A student at Erie High School in Pennsylvania was injured in a rare on-campus shooting Tuesday, authorities said, and a suspect was still at large.

The victim was hospitalized with non-life-threatening wounds and stabilized, police said at an afternoon news conference. Detectives believe they’ve identified the shooter, a juvenile younger than 15 whose name was withheld, and officers were trying to track the person down.

“We’ve identified a suspect and we’ve consulted with the district attorney’s office — and the Erie school district,” Erie Police Deputy Chief Michael Nolan said during the press conference.

The chief said investigators were in touch with the suspect’ family, but he remained at large. The shooter and the victim know each other, and the attack was not random, Nolan said.

Police did not release the juvenile’s name. Nolan said only, “We can’t release any additional information at this time.”

Erie County District Attorney Elizabeth Hirz indicated at the press conference that the suspect is younger than 15 and thus would be treated as a juvenile if prosecuted.

Police were dispatched to reports of shots fired inside a hallway at Erie High School about 9:22 a.m., Nolan said. Detectives believe the shooter used a 9 mm firearm, and that multiple rounds were fired, he said.

Police and school officials said gunfire erupted as school was in session. “There were other students in the vicinity,” Nolan said.

Erie schools Superintendent Brian Polito said the campus has never had metal detectors, but those late to class are subject to checks with a metal detector wand. Students can also be selected at random to be checked with a wand for weapons, Polito said.

The school was closed through the end of the week, and students will be off for spring break next week.

Counselors will be made available to students at a nearby arts center, and the school will be closed leading up to spring break, which begins next week, according to the district.

“We are devastated and angered by this senseless tragedy,” Polito said in a statement. “We are hoping for the full and speedy recovery for the student involved.

The district said in a statement more than two hours after announcing the shooting that the building was secure and there was no active threat.

In an earlier statement on Facebook, Erie’s Public Schools urged people to “STAY AWAY FROM THE AREA UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.”

The district added that it was working to coordinate parent pickups. Buses were also available to take kids home.

“Evacuation by orderly dismissal will begin as soon as the district is cleared to do so by the Erie Bureau of Police,” the school system later added.

Erie Mayor Joe Schember said the shooting was “very saddening.”

“Schools should be safe places where children learn and grow,” he wrote in a statement. “I know this is difficult for parents to hear. But remember: all students are now safe!”

The president of the Erie Education Association, Mary Theuerkauf, admonished the school district for not putting security measures in place.

“For years, we have demanded that the City of Erie School District Administration and School Directors confront the multitude of safety and security threats our staff have brought before them. Each time, we’re told, ‘it will take time, we’re working on it,'” she wrote in a statement, according to Erie News Now.

“No bureaucracy is worth a human life. We will not stand by one day more until the safety of our students and staff is properly addressed,” she said.

Dennis Romero contributed.