A student was grazed by a bullet inside Dunbar High School in Northwest D.C. on Friday morning after shots from an exchange of gunfire outside flew through a window, police say.
Two people have been arrested, News4 learned late Friday. Zaharia Graves, 18, and a 17-year-old boy — both of Northeast — are charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, carrying a pistol without a license and endangerment with a firearm.
The student, a 17-year-old girl described as a star varsity athlete, was grazed by a bullet in a second-floor classroom. She received minor injuries and was taken to a hospital, police said at a news conference.
“She is totally fine and expected to make a full recovery," Asst. Chief Leslie Parsons said.
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But the mental and emotional impact for the victim, students and staff in the classroom and families is harder to quantify.
There was no ongoing, active threat inside the school, police said. The school was on lockdown, DC Public Schools said. About 900 students were released to their parents.
“I want everyone to know that our students are secure and they are safe," Chief of Police Pamela Smith said.
Multiple bullet holes could be seen in windows on all three floors of the school. A barrage of gunfire was captured on a surveillance camera as people ran for cover.
Student Juan Manuel Ortega said the teen girl grazed by the bullet was in his class. Everyone was shocked, he said.
“I heard a shot and my teacher, he said, ‘Crawl down,’” he told News4 sister station Telemundo 44.
Student Kaiden Brown called the shooting “nerve-wracking.”
“My teacher put the blinds on the door and we all got away from the windows,” he said.
A man whose car also was shot up said he's frustrated and angry at what took place in the Truxton Circle neighborhood he and his family love.
Metropolitan Police Department officers were called to the school at First and N streets NW, north of New York Avenue, at about 9:55 a.m.
According to preliminary information, police believe a driver went the wrong way in the 1200 block of Kirby Street NW, south of the school. About halfway down the block, someone opened fire, Parsons said. There was then an exchange of gunfire. The potential motive for the shooting was not immediately clear, Parsons said.
People were outdoors when the shooting occurred, he said. Anyone with information that could aid the investigation is asked to contact police.
The area around the school was shut down, and a large number of officers could be seen.
An investigation is underway.
Bowser was at an upbeat event with children, marking the opening of the annual Flower Mart at Washington National Cathedral, when she received a call apparently notifying her of the shooting. Moments earlier, News4 video shows her talking with priests and a young bagpipe player, and riding a carousel.
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It’s cold comfort for families and all D.C. residents, but crime in the District is down. The number of homicides is down 22% so far this year, compared to the same period last year. Assault with a dangerous weapon is down 31%. Total violent crime is down 25%.
Anyone with potentially relevant information is asked to contact police.
Young people who survive shootings can face long-term effects
The teen girl who was shot is "totally fine and expected to make a full recovery," MPD Asst. Chief Parsons said.
But what reporting by the News4 I-Team bears out is that young people who survive shootings can face long-term effects; making a full recovery takes years, if not longer.
“The trauma will carry on throughout your entire life, no matter how old you are. You never recover from this. Grief does not have an expiration date,” D.C. student Kanihya Glover told the I-Team last year, as part of the Gun Violence: A Call to Action series.
Research shows children and adolescents who survived firearm injuries experienced a 68% increase in psychiatric disorders within the first year following their injuries. Their parents experienced a 30% increase in mental health disorders and at least a 15% increase in substance use disorders.
Doctors told the I-Team that about 30% of children who survive shootings return with gunshot wounds in the future.
Here’s how the News4 I-Team’s Ted Oberg put it live on News4: “It is important for all of us to know, kids who are shot, just because their injuries are not severe, don’t make full recoveries easily … Consider the victims of this and how they will recover once this news story is nothing but a memory for most of us.”
'You send your kids to school thinking they're OK'
Parents said they’re unsettled.
“It’s frustrating because you send your kids to school thinking they’re OK and then this happens,” mother Gloria Baskerville said.
“It’s could’ve been me. That’s her mindset,” Tierney Harris, the sister of a student, said. “It shouldn’t have to be like that. It’s a great school.”
Some students and parents said they’re unsure if they’ll be ready to return to school on Monday.
Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.
