Social media has been overrun with tragedies in recent days. Fans of DMX have taken to the internet to share fond memories of the celebrated rapper following his passing, and later, news of protests out of Minnesota began to flood timelines. We previously reported on the police-involved shooting death of Daunte Wright, the 20-year-old young man who was killed during a routine traffic stop. While both of those events were being discussed online, reports were coming out of Knoxville, Tennessee that a high school was under lockdown after shots were fired.
The investigation into this event is ongoing, so certain identities have yet to be released. What has been shared on various outlets is that around 3:15 p.m., the Knoxville Police Department received a call that there was possibly an armed person at Austin-East Magnet High School. Unfortunately, this incident would leave one person dead and another injured.
According to WVLT 8 News out of Knoxville, responding officers located a student armed with a gun barricaded inside of one of the school’s restrooms. Officers reportedly ordered the student out but “he refused to comply.” As officers attempted to enter the restroom, the student reportedly opened fire, injuring an officer. Police returned fire, killing the student.
The assailant has not been publicly named, but Mayor Indya Kincannon made a statement about the event. “We all need to work together to stop the violence,” she told reporters. “It’s a big challenge and we’re going to need the whole city to work together.” Tennessee Bureau of Investigations Director David Rausch held a press conference and made sure to clarify how he believes this incident should be addressed. He stated that this is an “officer-involved shooting at a school,” not a “school shooting.”
The officer injured during the incident is said to be recovering, is conscious, and will “be OK.” Any information regarding what may have led to this student’s actions isn’t available at the time of publication. Classes have been cancelled for two days.