Police fatally shoot ‘suspected intruder’ trying to enter Alabama elementary school [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• A man, who tried to enter an elementary school in Alabama, was fatally shot by police on Thursday morning.
• The Walnut Park Elementary School principal notified a school resource officer about the “potential intruder.”
• School officials had verified the man was not a parent of any of the students in the building.

A “potential intruder” was fatally shot by the police for attempting to enter an elementary school where summer programs were being held on Thursday morning.

Gadsden City Schools Superintendent Tony Reddick told reporters that suspect Robert White went to Walnut Park Elementary School and tried to open several exterior doors. They were all locked that day,

The school principal noticed the “potential intruder” and alerted the school resource officer, Reddick said.

White was confronted by the school resource officer. The suspect was later seen trying to break into a Rainbow City police car, The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said in a statement. Additional officers from the Gadsden Police Department arrived at the school to assist, the statement said.

Reportedly, White resisted arrest and tried to take the resource officer’s gun. At some point, he was fatally shot and pronounced dead, the agency said. Additional details were not immediately available.

It’s not yet determined if White was armed or why he was trying to get into the school or the police car. Reddick said the resource officer got minor injuries and no students were hurt. Most of the children did not even notice the chaos outside.

“Our primary concern was just making sure that someone who wasn’t authorized to be in our building does not enter and our kids are safe,” he said.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey praised the resource officer and school staff for the immediate response to the situation.

“When a situation ensued outside of Walnut Park School in Gadsden today, SROs immediately took action, faculty inside the building followed safety protocols and all children present were kept out of harm’s way,” she tweeted. “I commend all involved for acting quickly to protect these children.”

Source: New York Post