According to the Winston-Salem police, an 18-year-old student at Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy was injured in a shooting that took place after reports of gunfire at Forsyth Tech on Thursday morning.
Police have stated that the student in question shot himself in the hand. The incident occurred while over 600 high school students were present at Forsyth Tech for an event.
According to the police, the student who shot himself was given medical treatment for injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
The incident caused a security threat on the campus and resulted in a lockdown and evacuation of students and staff.
However, the police have clarified that there was no active shooter on campus and that the community is not at risk.
There is also no indication that the suspect is still at large. During a news conference, Janet Spriggs, the president of Forsyth Tech, acknowledged that it was a challenging day but praised the way everyone worked together and followed the established plans to take care of each other.
Early in the morning, tech alerts were issued reporting that there had been gunfire at the Strickland Center. As a result, students and staff were evacuated from the area.
Forsyth Tech posted a tweet announcing that all classes were canceled for the remainder of the week at all locations, and the campus was closed. Darius Taylor, a Forsyth Tech student and WXII employee, recounted his experience being in the Strickland Center when he heard the shots.
He was inside a studio located on the first floor of the building when the school issued the alert, and officials quickly arrived to escort students to a secure location.
Taylor remarked that the incident was unexpected and that the sight of his professor’s frightened expression when he shared news of an active shooter alert was a haunting memory.
Although the situation was grave, Taylor noted that law enforcement was handling everything in a methodical and secure manner.
He and other students were escorted out of the building just behind the police lines. During the threat, the students barricaded themselves before ultimately being evacuated. Additionally, the police blocked off parts of the parking lot at the Tech Drive entrance of the main campus on Silas Creek Parkway.
The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools acknowledged that they were aware of the active situation at Forsyth Tech earlier and stated that students attending events at the location were with their school representatives. The school authorities also confirmed that all WS/FCS students were safe and accounted for, and school buses were used to pick up students from the campus.
Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy student injured in shooting on Forsyth Technical Community College