Nobody was injured and two juvenile suspects are in custody following a shooting incident outside Lawrence Central High School Dec. 6 at the end of the Lawrence Central/Lawrence North varsity basketball game.
Lawrence Police Department Deputy Chief Gary Woodruff said in a phone interview Dec. 7 that the incident took place around 9 p.m. when the game was over and people were leaving.
“There was a disturbance that broke out — a physical altercation-type disturbance — among students,” he said. “This all occurred just outside of the gym in the parking lot area. Of course, you have 3,000 students at a basketball game and a disturbance like that, things can get a bit chaotic. And then, as a result or as a part of that physical altercation, somebody fired two shots.”
Woodruff said the chaos escalated, with people running in various directions, including back into the building. Police officers who were there for the game responded quickly, he said, and students pointed out two juvenile boys who had guns in their possession. The two, ages 14 and 15, were taken into custody and face preliminary felony charges of minors possessing a handgun on school property. They have not yet been charged with the shooting, however.
“It remains part of the active ongoing investigation as to whether the two individuals that we took into custody that had possession of firearms … were the ones who were responsible for firing the shots — we cannot definitively say at this point in the investigation that they were,” he said.
Woodruff said the investigation will include witness interviews to try and determine who fired the two shots.
A statement from the Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township thanked law enforcement for their quick response and asked parents to talk to their children about safety protocols.
“Parents and community, we need your help in sharing with your children the importance of speaking out when they see individuals who may pose a threat to our community,” the district stated. “We are grateful to our first responders, school administration and for the cooperation of those in the building at the time of the incident.”
According to the statement, administration officials and counselors will be available for any students needing support following the incident.
