A 14-year-old student who was shot in the chest by a classmate at a southern Arkansas high school is expected to make a full recovery, according to the district's superintendent, who said he anticipates the teen will be released from the hospital as early as Tuesday afternoon.
Crews airlifted the student to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock, which is about 100 miles from Prescott High School. The shooting happened in a hallway there on Monday morning.
Authorities said the gunfire followed an apparent dispute that spilled over between the victim and another eighth-grade student, authorities said.
Superintendent Robert Poole said in an interview Tuesday that the student was recovering quickly from his injuries. “He may get to come home today or tomorrow,” Poole said.
The shooting around 9:15 a.m. led to an hour-long lockdown of the school, prompting a large police response as officers searched for the shooter after he fled the premises.
“It’s that call that no police chief wants to get,” Prescott Police Chief Joey Beavers said. “It’s that dreaded call.”
Beavers said officers arrested the 14-year-old suspect off campus and found a handgun tucked behind bushes in front of the school.
Officials haven’t released the names of either student.
Authorities have said the teens had a dispute prior to the shooting but have declined to elaborate on what it was about.
Beavers said the teen suspect has been held at a local youth facility while awaiting possible criminal charges following his arrest.
Nevada County Prosecutor Christi McQueen said she’s waiting for authorities to finish their investigation before determining any possible criminal charges. She declined to say whether the suspect would face adult charges. State law allows prosecutors to charge minors as old as 14 adults for bringing a handgun onto school grounds.
District officials canceled classes for the rest of the day Monday shortly after the lockdown was lifted.
Counselors were at the school on Tuesday working with students and teachers as classes resumed. That followed a Monday evening vigil that saw dozens of students, parents and community members gather at the school to sing, pray and call for peace.
Poole described Prescott, a roughly 3,000-resident city between Little Rock and Texarkana, as a tight-knit community.
Students and staff practice at least one active shooter lockdown each year, as well as a handful of other security drills. But it’s the first time in Poole’s memory the students hid behind locked doors in a real situation.
“I’m very proud of my staff handling situation like they did,” he said. “Everything worked like it should have.”
Beavers said the school was locked down "pretty tight” when officers arrived.
Two school resource officers were at the school at the time of the shooting.
School leaders said they plan to review additional security measures and practices around campus buildings in the coming weeks. They also plan to seek parents’ input.