LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Central High School in Little Rock was on lockdown Tuesday after police responded to reports of gunfire just south of the campus.
The lockdown went into effect just before noon, with officers from the Little Rock Police Department soon after starting an investigation in the area of 16th Street and Dennison Street, just a block away from the school.
Principal Nancy Rousseau confirmed that multiple bullets struck the school building as shots were fired, but police determined there were no injuries to students or teachers.
Photos shared from inside the school show at least one bullet hole in a classroom window, and school officials said some students were outside eating lunch when the shots rang out.
The school dismissed early for the day, with busses and parents arriving on campus to get students home.
Following the dismissal, Little Rock School District Superintendent Michael Poore, Mayor Frank Scott Jr. and LRPD Chief Keith Humphrey all spoke out during a news conference at the school.
Poore said the decision to dismiss early was made in order to give police the chance to investigate the area after the campus was turned into a crime scene.
Humphrey told reporters that after a preliminary investigation it did not appear that the school was the intended target of the shots. However, the chief made it clear that finding out who pulled the trigger was a top priority.
“I want to make myself perfectly clear, and to the individual or individuals that were responsible for this, we are going to prosecute to the highest level possible we can,” he said. “As a matter of fact, we are going to recommend, when this person is arrested, this goes federally.”
Investigators with the LRPD said they have a possible suspect vehicle description but are not publicly releasing that information.
District leaders haven’t said if the school will be in session Wednesday, but counselors will be on campus when students do return.
