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Mom waving gun at high school students is shot by officer, Ga. cops say

The 30-year-old woman arrived on campus with a handgun after a fight broke out among students, police said

atlanta high school shooting mother

Steve Gehlbach

By Alison Cutler
The Charlotte Observer

ATLANTA — A parent was shot by an officer after she brought a handgun to an Atlanta high school and waved it at students on March 30, Georgia police said.

The armed parent arrived on the Booker T. Washington High School campus after a fight broke out among students after school, a statement from Atlanta Public Schools said.

The parent, a 30-year-old mother carrying a handgun, arrived on campus around 4:17 p.m. and became involved in an argument, according to a statement from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

During the altercation, the parent is accused of waving the gun toward students and employees, APS said.

“Officers repeatedly ordered (the parent) to put the handgun down and she did not comply. (The parent) was subsequently shot once by an officer,” the GBI said.

The mother was shot in the hand, APS reported, and she was treated on the scene by paramedics. Her injuries were non-life-threatening, and she was reported to be in stable condition, according to the GBI.

One parent told WGCL she would press charges against the mother.

“She was putting her hand and her gun at me and my daughter and I’m pressing charges. That’s the dumbest thing to do to pull up to a kid fight, pull out a gun and get shot,” Cynthia Leakes told the news outlet.

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The Atlanta Public Schools Police has charged the mother with obstructing a law enforcement officer with violence, carrying/ possessing a firearm on school property, disrupting public school, aggravated assault, cruelty to children and contributing to delinquency of a minor, according to APS.

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APS said several departments would be involved in investigating the shooting.

“As this was an officer involved shooting, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating as well,” the school district said in its statement. “The safety and well-being of our students and employees is always a top priority for all Atlanta Public Schools.”

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