NEW YORK (PIX11) — The end of the school week is giving way to panic for parents in three New York City boroughs.
Police said students were injured by gunfire, caught with loaded guns and in one instance, stabbed to death.
“Three incidents in a two-and-a-half-hour span from noon to 2:30,” explained NYPD Chief John Chell.
The spree began in Brooklyn as feuding gangs led to gunfire in Midwood. A 16-year-old girl was caught in the crossfire and shot in the ankle. It happened a block from Edward R. Murrow High School, where the victim attends classes.
About an hour later, on 10th Avenue in Manhattan, a tip was called Independence High School that a gun may be inside.
The decision was made to go to a hard lockdown and then evacuate the school. A security sweep was initiated, and every student was searched as they exited.
“[Police] found the firearm they’re looking for, a second firearm on a different student and an imitation pistol on a third student,” said Chief Chell.
The two .9 mm guns were loaded, and three boys were arrested, according to the NYPD.
The Schools’ Chancellor David Banks said the DOE and safety agents work to strike a balance of where metal detectors are needed and when.
“We analyze this ongoing and when we have incidents when we need to address, we have random scanning,” Banks explained.
The violence culminated around 2:30 p.m. as more gang violence led to a boy’s murder on Staten Island.
A 13-year-old was stabbed to death by another student on an MTA bus on the way home from school.
The NYPD made arrests in all three incidents.
