COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Cobb County police confirm that they have secured the campus of McEachern High School after two people were shot in the parking lot Thursday afternoon.
Police said neither victim is a current student and the shooting happened in the parking lot of the school. Neither victim has life-threatening injuries.
Officials said the school has now been determined to be safe and secure.
McEachern High School is now considered safe following a comprehensive assessment by law enforcement. The reunification process has commenced to return students to their families safely.
— Cobb County Police Department (@CobbPoliceDept) February 1, 2024
“It was never an active shooter,” police said. “When we get these calls, we don’t know if this is an active shooter or not, so we treat it like it is.”
Video shot by a student shows several officers with long guns headed inside the school. There were at least three ambulances and a fire truck at the scene as well.
“The campus is in code red, police are on campus, and for the safety of both students and staff, parents will not be allowed on campus, and buses will not run until the code red is lifted. We will provide an additional update to the public once one is available,” school officials said.
All traffic on New Macland Road was diverted and closed until further notice.
Cobb County police said the place parents can pick up kids will be at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 2595 New Macland Road. Parents are asked to travel from Richard D. Sailors Parkway as New Macland Road will be closed at Macland Road.
Parents are asked to avoid going to the school to allow first responders to do their jobs.
One mother said her son was walking out to the parking lot when he heard shots fired.
“He actually was on his way to the parking lot, he is a senior, so he gets out early,” she said. “He was on his way to the parking lot and he had to turn around. That’s when he heard the gunshots.”
She said the situation was nerve-wracking.
“When I take my kids to school, I always pray over them, asking God to protect them and keep them safe, because we have things like this that occur,” she said. “You see it on the news, you see incidents like this on the news, you never think it would be your child calling you when it hits home it is scary.”
Police said they are working to determine the identities of the shooter or shooters, who are still on the run. They do have descriptions of the suspects, police said.
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