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| Pine Bluff Police Chief Kelvin Sergeant. CNN |
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School shooting in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, leaves 15-year-old in serious condition
CNN
March 1, 2021
Area: Little Rock, Pine Bluff
PINE BLUFF, Arkansas - A 15-year-old boy shot Monday at a junior high school in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, is in very serious condition at the children's hospital in Little Rock, authorities said.
Pine Bluff Police Chief Kelvin Sergeant said investigators think the shooter is a 15-year-old male who is also a student at Watson Chapel Junior High.
The suspect was located in the neighborhood near the school, hiding behind a house.
He was taken into custody and is currently being held in the juvenile justice center in Pine Bluff, authorities said. Formal charges have not yet been filed.
There is no known motive for the shooting, said Sergeant, who called it an isolated incident. The school followed the active shooter protocol, Sergeant said.
In a Facebook post, the school system said students were safe and schools were being locked down.
Pine Bluff is about 45 miles south of Little Rock, the state capital.
UPDATE
A 15-year-old boy who was shot by another student at an Arkansas junior high school earlier this week has died, officials said Wednesday.
The teen, identified by the Watson Chapel School District and his family as Daylon "DaeDae' Burnett, had been in intensive care at Arkansas Children�s Hospital in Little Rock since the Monday shooting.
He died Wednesday at 5:35 p.m. local time, Pine Bluff police Sgt. Richard Wegner told NBC News.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends," the school district said in a post on its Facebook page.
According to police, another 15-year-old shot Burnett at 9:59 a.m. local time in a hallway outside Watson Chapel Junior High School's main office. Authorities are not identifying him because of his age. While the department has not revealed a motive in the shooting, DeFoor said the incident was "targeted."
Monday was the first day back to in-person classes for Watson Chapel students after days of remote learning due to a water issue. Students at the junior high school went back to remote learning Tuesday and Wednesday due to the shooting. They were scheduled to return to in-person classes on Thursday.
"It is imperative that all students take advantage of the many, many professionals who will be present to provide counseling and guidance to our students as they return to school," the district said in a statement.
On Wednesday, a judge set the suspect's bond at $1 million.
He was being held in Jefferson County�s juvenile detention center on a charge of first-degree battery. A homicide charge has not been filed. His next hearing is set for April 12.
It was not clear if he had an attorney.
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