By Jerald Jimenez
05 Sep 2024, 09:44 AM EDT
A 33-year-old high school teacher in the Bronx, New York, was hit by a stray bullet while setting up her classroom on Wednesday. Authorities say the bullet went through the window of the sixth-floor classroom and struck the teacher in her right hand.
The incident occurred shortly before noon at MS 391, according to the New York City Department of Education. The bullet is believed to have been fired from an elevated surface a long distance from the school.
“The school was not the target,” Deputy Chief Keiyon Ramsey of the New York Police Department’s Bronx District Patrol clarified during a press conference. The teacher was taken to a local hospital in stable condition and has since been released.
Police recovered a bullet from the classroom and are working to determine its origin and who fired it. “We are currently searching all nearby rooftops, looking for ballistic evidence and video evidence,” said Deputy Chief Louis Deceglie of the Bronx Detective Bureau.
Despite the seriousness of the incident, there were no students in the classroom or at school at the time of the shooting, as classes begin this Thursday.
“This blatant display of violence is both outrageous and reprehensible,” the Department of Education said in a statement. “The NYPD immediately responded to the scene where a teacher sustained non-life-threatening injuries. We will provide additional support to this school community.”
With information from ABC News