Following a recent shooting near Lindbergh Elementary School on Columbus's west side, a lockdown was placed on three Columbus City schools, which has subsequently been lifted. The shooting, which occurred in the vicinity of 2541 Lindbergh Dr. around 2:55 p.m., left a 14-year-old student with injuries, reported The Columbus Dispatch. The victim, who attended Briggs High School, was taken to Nationwide Children's Hospital and is in stable condition, as per Lieutenant Dave Ratliff of Franklin Township Police.
A larger group of juveniles was said to have been present when an altercation escalated between two boys resulting in one individual drawing a gun and firing multiple shots; the Briggs High student was hit in the arm, the incident began with a group altercation in Lindbergh Park involving 20 to 32 people and then spilled into a surrounding neighborhood, where a person of interest was detained by police near Briggs High, but the main suspect remains at large and is considered armed and dangerous according to officials from Franklin Township police. During the commotion, nearby schools, including Lindbergh Elementary School, Binns Elementary School, and Briggs High School, initiated a Level 2 lockdown, which allows classes to continue while the buildings are secured, confirmed a CCS spokesperson in a statement obtained by WBNS.
Authorities are actively investigating the scene, searching for the firearm used and shell casings, according to the Franklin Township police. They are leading the investigation with assistance from the sheriff's office, as reported by ABC6. After ensuring the safety of all students and lifting the lockdown, students at the affected schools were able to return home.
Describing the chaos, neighbor Angie Fields told ABC6, "I heard gunshots, then the kids running, down the alley. I asked them what happened, and there was a boy who got shot, and they were fist-fighting, and the kid got shot." The community, now grappling with the stark reality of gun violence spilling into areas where children convene for education and play, remains on alert as the suspect is still at large, the situation underscores the fragility of safety in spaces once thought to be immune from the city's more perilous elements.
