UPDATE: The child who was accidentally shot this morning at Moss Bluff Elementary School is in “critical but stable condition” and has been transported to a pediatric intensive care unit for monitoring, medical officials tell KLFY.
Two general trauma surgeons, one cardiovascular surgeon, and one general surgery resident operated on the 7-year-old child in the operating room. The child has been out of surgery.
MOSS BLUFF, La. (KLFY) – A seven-year-old student who attends Moss Bluff Elementary School is recovering at a Lafayette hospital after he was accidentally shot at school earlier this morning.
Sheriff Tony Mancuso said a first grader brought a loaded gun to school in his backpack.
“The gun fell out of the backpack in the classroom and another student picked it up. The gun accidentally fired, hitting another student.”
The injured student was taken to a Lafayette hospital where he is currently in surgery. Manusco told KLFY’s Dalfred Jones the child was in stable condition.
The sheriff said neither the student who brought the gun nor the student who accidentally fired the gun will be held responsible for the accident due to their age.
The incident was isolated to one classroom and no other children are in danger. The school was on lockdown earlier as a precaution but it has since been lifted.
When the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office finishes their investigation, the results will be forwarded to the District Attorney’s Office to determine if charges should be filed against the gun owner.
Mancuso issued a statement on the shooting in a news release saying:
“I’m a pro-gun advocate and I believe in the 2nd amendment that allows us to possess and carry firearms, however, I also believe that it is our responsibility as gun owners to keep our guns locked and out of the reach of children. In addition, talking to our children about the dangers of guns can help them know how to react if they encounter a gun at school or even at a friend’s house.”
School employees tell KLFY that grief counselors will be available beginning tomorrow to help students deal with the shooting.
