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Teen one of two charged after resource officer involved in high school parking lot shooting

According to GBI, a 17-year-old is now charged by the DeKalb County School District Police Department with carrying weapons within school safety zones.

ATLANTA — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said a 17-year-old is one of two people facing charges after a school resource officer was involved in a shooting incident at the Lithonia High School parking lot last week.

According to GBI spokesperson Nelly Miles, a 17-year-old is now charged by the DeKalb County School District Police Department with carrying weapons within school safety zones among several other charges.

Last Thursday afternoon, the GBI was called in to help investigate by the DeKalb County Schools Department of Public Safety after there was a disturbance in the school's parking lot where an officer discharged a weapon, according to a previous statement from DeKalb County Schools.

No students were involved in the shooting incident, according to the GBI. The GBI later gave an update during a press conference Thursday evening. They said investigators were conducting interviews and reviewing surveillance footage to figure out what happened.

"It is still very early in the investigation, but what we know so far is a teacher spotted two men that were on campus at Lithonia High School. They were two men who should not have been on campus and alerted a school resource officer," GBI spokesperson Nelly Miles said. 

Credit: GBI

The GBI said when the school resource officer went to approach the men, the two men started to run away. Shortly after, the GBI said one of the men drove his car toward the resource officer and the officer fired shots; bullets hit the suspect's car and grazed one of the men.

"We had medical personnel on scene, they did not have to go to a hospital and the men are in custody now," Miles said.

The school district said there were no injuries to students and the incident is still under investigation. 

"The safety and well-being of DCSD students and staff remains a top priority," the district said. 

Investigators later said they found a gun in a suspect's car and that two people were taken into custody and will face charges. On Monday, the GBI said one of the two people arrested is a 17-year-old.

Miles said the teen is charged with possession of gun with an altered ID mark, aggravated assault on an officer of the court, carrying weapons within school safety zones, disrupting public school, criminal trespassing, obstruction of law enforcement officers, duty upon striking an unattended vehicle, and hit and run in connection to the incident.

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