A 12-year-old boy shot a 13-year-old boy at an Oakland, California, school on Monday, police told reporters.
The children have not been named due to their age, and the injured child is in stable condition at the hospital, NBC Bay Area reported. The incident occurred around 1:30 p.m. at Madison Park Academy in East Oakland.
“I left work immediately, went home, came straight up here. My kids are my world. Come on, man, this has got to stop, Oakland, this has got to stop,” parent David Mann told NBC.
Parents and relatives of the injured child were reportedly not informed that the child was in stable condition when they rushed to the school.
“Officers were able to take the shooter into custody as well as provide medical aid to the student. We have recovered the firearm as well,” Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong told NBC.
The younger boy was booked on suspicion of assault with a firearm as well as additional weapons charges.
Armstrong noted that there had been six killings in the past four days in Oakland ahead of the shooting at the school.
“No parent wants to send their kid to school and get a call they’ve been shot. Worst thing you can hear as a parent,” the police chief said. “Far too many guns on our streets.”
The police department later tweeted, “Evidence shows the incident was not a deliberate school shooting. At this time, it does not appear that the victim was the intended target,” the Associated Press reported.
Mann, the parent, expressed concern over the incident.
“Praying for those injured. Come on y’all. Something’s got to give,” Mann told NBC. “Come on, Oakland, got to do better.”
Others in the community also issued statements.
“School should be the safest place for our kids. As a mother and a mayor, I’m relieved the young victim at Madison is in stable condition + a suspect apprehended. The increased level of gun violence in our country + our city is heartbreaking and unacceptable. Let me be clear: We will hold accountable those who cause harm to Oakland, and we will come together to heal from these traumatic events,” Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf (D) tweeted.
City Council member Treva Reid (D) reportedly cried when speaking about the school shooting.
“To watch the mothers come to hold the children, to know that their child was safe, it’s a lot to process. I don’t have a lot of answers right now,” she told NBC.
