A school police officer shot a student who was threatening his classmates with a knife at a Nevada high school Wednesday.
The 14-year-old student is in critical condition at a Reno hospital and the officer involved in the incident has been placed on administrative leave, which is standard.
Police say the incident began around 11:30 a.m. when two students at Hug High School got into a fight. One of the students in the altercation brandished a knife and started swinging it at the other boy. The knife-wielding boy also began threatening other students who had gathered around to watch the fight.
A Washoe County School District police officer commanded the student to drop his weapon but the boy refused to comply. The officer fired one shot from his service weapon, with one witness saying the bullet struck the student in his shoulder area, according to USA Today.
“Once the threat was stopped, the officer immediately began to provide medical aid to the student until emergency medical assistance arrived,” Reno Police Chief Jason Soto said.
The student was eventually taken to Renown Regional Medical Center.
The suspect’s father wrote on Facebook that his son was bullied and that “he brought the knives because he was gonna be jumped,” reports KTVN.
The school was placed on lockdown and Reno police spokesman Tim Broadway estimated that more than 40 students witnessed the incident. The lockdown was lifted a few hours later and students were released to their parents.
Reno police began interviewing the officer and witnesses immediately after the incident. A regional officer-involved shooting team is also investigating.
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