June 9, 2022
Shooting outside Gadsden school leaves suspect dead, police officer suffers minor injuries
The shooting happened at Walnut Park Elementary School where a summer program for elementary-age children was taking place.
shooting outside a Gadsden elementary school Thursday morning left one person dead.
The incident happened at Walnut Park Elementary School where a summer program for elementary-age children was taking place.
The school is located in the Walnut Park section of Gadsden near the old Republic Steel plant.
There were reports of a suspicious person at the school and a school resource officer on site responded and an altercation ensued. The suspect was then fatally shot.
A Rainbow City police officer suffered minor injuries in the scuffle.
As of 10:30 a.m., the suspect’s body remained on the scene under a white sheet near the bicycle racks, not far from the front entrance.
According to authorities, the school doors were all locked when the suspicious person first appeared at the school.
Etowah County Sheriff Jonathan Horton said he and his deputies responded to the school to assist.
All children in the school at the time of the incident have been safely picked up from an alternate location.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s State Bureau of Investigation will lead the probe.
