A Huffman High School senior has been killed and another injured after gunfire erupted in a classroom at the east Birmingham school on Wednesday afternoon, and police are calling it an "accidental" shooting.
On March 7, 17-year-old Courtlin Arrington was shot dead by a 17-year-old boy in her school by mistake. He then also mistakenly shot himself in the leg. According to the Atlanta-Journal-Constitution, the boy was "showing off a gun" to girls in the school just as school was about to dismiss for the day, and it accidentally discharged, killing Courtlin.
Police say the boy then put the gun he had just fired into his waistband and accidentally shot himself in the leg.
Arrington and the boy who is a junior and member of the football team were both rushed to UAB Hospital in separate Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service trucks. Arrington was given CPR at the scene and en route to the hospital, but the efforts to revive her failed. The boy was not seriously injured and hospital officials say he was already discharged from the hospital before 7:30 p.m.
The boy, whose name has not been released to protect his identity, was later questioned at police headquarters. Birmingham Police Chief Orlando Wilson said in a press conference that the shooting had been ruled accidental. He said that the cause of the shooting was unknown and that a person of interest had been taken into police custody.
However, there are people who do not believe that the shooting was accidental and they are asking questions, like how could the boy attempt to put a just fired gun which will most likely be very hot into his waistband.
Arrington would have turned 18 in a month. She was going to graduate in May, had already been accepted into college, and had dreams to become a nurse.
"We're not just talking about some person, we're talking about losing a part of our future,'' said Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin. "Our hearts are heavy."
One of her last posts before she was killed
As a result of the shooting, School officials announced late Wednesday night that school will be closed on Thursday. The delay will provide an opportunity for the system to conduct a thorough safety sweep of the school, and also allow the system to collaborate with organizations in the community to provide counseling support to both students and staff, said Superintendent Lisa Herring
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