Shooting near Seattle high schools force lockdown

Bullet flies through Nova High School window

Two Seattle high schools were forced into lockdown Thursday afternoon after gunshots were heard nearby.

SEATTLE - Two Seattle high schools were forced into lockdown Thursday afternoon after gunshots were heard nearby.

According to Seattle police, gunshots were reported around 1:44 p.m. near 24th Ave and E Cherry St. The intersection is directly between Nova High School and Garfield High School, and both schools took emergency precautions after the gunshots were heard.

"I was just chilling in family health, doing my work," said Theo Mack, a student at Garfield.

Theo Mack and other students at Garfield High School got notifications on his phone Thursday telling him to shelter in place.

"Usually when this happens there is an outside threat to the community," said Mack.

Authorities say a suspected 45-caliber bullet went through the second-story window of Nova High School, and more than a dozen spent bullet casings were found on 25th Ave.

"I kind of, part of my mind, thought it was pretend, like a fake one, but then I was like, ‘There were gunshots yesterday’," said Mack.

No one was injured in the shooting.

"This is a route I walk daily either by myself or with my kids, and I want this to be a place where everyone feels that they are safe," said Ally Haviland, mom of Leschi Elementary School student. "The fact that it’s hitting so close to home is wild."

A 911 caller reported hearing six to seven shots fired, and said they saw two vehicles speed away from the area.

Police say it is not known if the gunfire was aimed at the schools are between the two suspect vehicles.

Another shooting was reported near Garfield High School yesterday, and in June, a teenager was shot and killed near Garfield High School after attempting to break up a fight between two other people.

"Unfortunately, there seems to be a hot spot around the high school," said Haviland. "I think it’s a much bigger systemic issue, but it’s coming up as, unfortunately, gun violence."

Mack says he feels the schools have gotten practiced in responding.

"Pretty secure, like locking the doors, closing the blinds are good security measures. It’s good security measures, there’s not much more they can do," said Mack.

It is not yet known what led up to the shooting.

Seattle Public Schools issued the following statement:

"Nova High School was placed in lockdown and Garfield High School was in shelter-in-place this afternoon while the Seattle Police Department (SPD) responded to reports of shots fired nearby. A bullet went through a second-story classroom window at Nova High School. SPD officers are on the scene investigating this incident. Students and staff at both schools are safe and the lockdown and shelter-in-place have been lifted."