The student who was shot outside of Reynolds High School on Tuesday is in stable condition. Little additional information was shared during a Wednesday morning press briefing. County and city law enforcement confirmed the investigation is active and the shooter remains at large.
The victim, a male Reynolds High School student, is recovering at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.
Forsyth County Sheriff, Bobby Kimbrough, Jr., said the injury, a shot to the leg, meant the teenager would likely not walk the same way again.
Kimbrough said solving the issue of gun violence in Winston-Salem schools would require further community involvement.
“A lot of the issues that are surfacing in school, originated in the community and they surface in the school. It’s no different than police responding to issues, it’s no different than the school system. That is why we need a community effort to resolve the issues that are happening in school i.e funding, i.e. resources, i.e. volunteers.”
Kimbrough and Forsyth County District Attorney, Jim O’Neill, offered little else in the form of facts regarding the case. Neither confirmed the number of assailants, their age, or other identifying features.
O'Neill, though, did reference the recently enacted amendment to North Carolina’s Raise the Age Act.
“Law enforcement has that authority, from the jump, from the arrest, to take a 16 or 17-year-old directly to adult court. I can promise you as I have in the past, the punishment will be swift and severe.”
Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools Superintendent, Tricia McManus, thanked school staff for acting quickly and highlighted the importance of practice drills.
The morning after the shooting McManus said over a third of Reynolds students did not attend class. She encouraged parents to send their kids back to school, noting the increase in law enforcement on campus and the presence of crisis counselors.
“I am in our high schools and schools regularly. Yes it is very frustrating to see that children are doing anything that’s violent or anything that would put another child in harm’s way but honestly, the majority of the time that is not what you see.”
This is the second firearm-related incident at Winston Salem Forsyth County Schools this academic year.