2 people injured in shooting near Ohio school
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A teenager and a man were shot Thursday afternoon outside an elementary school close to when its students were to be dismissed.
No students of the grade school were injured or involved in the shooting, Columbus police Sgt. Elrico Alli said. Investigators don't believe the shooting was related to the school, its students or its faculty.
Officers responded to reports of gunshots in front of Liberty Elementary School at 3:35 p.m. and found a 14-year-old boy and a 20-year-old man had been wounded.
The boy was shot in the leg and was hospitalized in critical condition. The man was shot in the foot and was in stable condition. Police said neither is affiliated with the grade school or the nearby Independence High School.
No schoolchildren were outside at the time of the shooting, police said, and at no time were students of the school targeted or threatened.
Columbus schools spokesman Andrew Marcelain said the school was locked down for about an hour as a precaution.
Police said they were interviewing people as part of their investigation but no suspects had been identified. They said they planned to increase their presence at the grade school Friday to ensure safety.
