ALBEMARLE, N.C. – A man charged with shooting a teenager twice outside of a high school walked into the school after the shooting and turned himself in to the school’s principal, police say.
Albemarle Police Chief William Halliburton says a juvenile, Jaylen Russell, is in custody after allegedly shooting 17-year-old Bernard Miller Tuesday morning at Albemarle High School.
According to Halliburton, Russell and Miller began arguing when Russell reportedly shot Miller twice. This happened around 7:42 a.m.
Russell then reportedly laid the handgun down and walked into the principal’s office and turned himself in, Halliburton said. He is facing assault with a deadly weapon charges.
Miller is in stable condition after being wounded in the lower body. He was initially taken to Stanly Regional Medical Center before being moved to Charlotte for medical treatment.
Witnesses say they heard three gunshots.
The school was placed on lockdown for a short time and the last student was evacuated from the school at 9:06 a.m.
“This is our worst nightmare, a shooting at a school, that is why we practice,” Halliburton said. “I think our response was tremendous.”
Over the summer, Stanly County held a multi-agency training drill that involved a simulated fatality situation involving 25 officers, fire, and EMS. He says he saw a lot of the same faces during Tuesday’s incident and that the drill was beneficial for days like Tuesday.
Stanly County Schools’ Superintendent Terry Griffin thanked police and first responders on Tuesday afternoon saying the “safety of students is our first priority.”
“We are in the process of reviewing the situation and meeting with local law enforcement to review our current security procedure,” Griffin said. “We will make sure student are safe in the future. We practice drills, but until it happens we don’t know how we will perform.”
Griffin says initial indications don’t reveal anything that would have alerted school officials to a possible issue.
All students were dismissed for the day. A staging area was set up for parents to pick up students at the parking lot of North Albemarle Baptist Church on Park Ridge Road.
School leaders are slated to make a decision whether classes will be held Wednesday by 5 p.m. Tuesday evening.
Stanly Community College announced over social media that all of their classes at Albemarle High School have been canceled for Tuesday. Classes at all other locations will continue as normal.
First Presbyterian Church in Albemarle will be holding a prayer vigil at 5:30 Tuesday night for Albemarle High School. Pastor Matt Drumheller says it will be a time for prayer and reflection.
