Two shot, including student outside Santee High School; lockdown lifted

Two shot, including student outside Santee High School; school lockdown lifted

A shooting near Santee High School in Los Angeles on Thursday left one student and another person with gunshot wounds, authorities said.

LOS ANGELES - Two South Los Angeles area schools were placed on lockdown Thursday after a shooting injured two people, including a student.

Los Angeles School Police responded to reports of shots fired in front of Santee High School at 1921 Maple Ave shortly before 2 p.m.

The school was immediately placed on lockdown. Around 3:15 p.m. lockdowns were lifted for both Santee High School and Maple Primary Center.

LA School Police said that one student was shot in the leg and transported to the hospital. The student was on the football field when he was shot. Authorities have not stated whether or not the student was the intended target.

An additional gunshot victim was found down the street from the school at the intersection of Maple Ave and 36th Street, near Maple Primary Center. The second victim is not a student, however, their age and gender are not known. The second victim was also transported to the hospital for treatment.

School police say it is unknown if the two shootings are related.

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The suspect fled the area. He is described by police as Hispanic with dark blue clothes, green shoes and a light blue bike.

In a statement released Thursday night, the union representing LA School Police slammed LAUSD's board member Monica Garcia, saying the violent incident may have been prevented.

"If School Board Member Monica Garcia believed school safety was a top priority within the Los Angeles Unified School District, today's tragic shooting of a student might have been prevented," the union's statement read, in part.

Below is the full statement released by the Los Angeles School Police Officers Association:

"The Los Angeles School Police Officers Association stands with the students, parents, and staff members of Santee High School, demanding answers from the Los Angeles Unified School Board. Specifically, we demand answers from School Board Member Monica Garcia. who led the charge to "defund" the Los Angeles School Police Department.

If School Board Member Monica Garcia believed school safety was a top priority within the Los Angeles Unified School District, today's tragic shooting of a student might have been prevented.

Luckily, a Las Angeles School Police Officer was close enough to the school when the shooting occurred. That School Police Officer arrived and applied a tourniquet as well as immediate medical attention to the student who had a gunshot wound to his leg.

Like […] have repeatedly stated, the Los Angeles Unified School Board must stop playing ‘political games’ with our children's safety.

When the School Board, led by Monica Garcia, "defunded" the Los Angela School Police Department, we lost over 133 safety personnel positions and removed school police officers from campuses. Since then, we have seen student fights get out of hand, staff members get injured, and students get shot.

There is ‘no excuse’ for today's tragedy. We urge the entire Los Angeles Unified School Board to reconsider their decisions and allow our Los Angela School Police Department officers back onto our campuses before another child is injured."

Just Wednesday, a school shooting occurred in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, that left one student dead.

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