MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Parents of students at Miami Norland Senior High School spoke to Local 10 News Tuesday, a day after a student was shot outside the campus in Miami Gardens.
“My niece and my son goes over to the junior high, and my niece is at the elementary. So you know, it’s always something over here,” Venus Johnson said.
Parents voiced their concern after three schools in Miami Gardens were placed on lockdown following the shooting.
Law enforcement sources told Local 10 News the situation began as an argument, after which an 18-year-old student walked away and was shot by another person.
The victim then fell onto the sidewalk.
“It’s sad and it’s heartbreaking to know that somebody got shot in the area of two schools,” parent Chimere Jackson said.
Some students also spoke to Local 10 News, describing the sound of the gunshots.
“It was just loud,” Lavari Washington said. “I was praying -- praying that nothing happened to me and my sister.”
“We ran to the building -- the nearest building,” another student added.
The victim was airlifted to a nearby hospital. Students looked on as police moved in.
“They came in there to make sure that nobody was in there that tried to harm us,” student Kaliyah Washington said.
Another student told Local 10 News that she texted her mom.
“Just to tell her that we heard shots and I’m on a code red, so I might be home later than expected,” she said.
Police lifted the lockdowns before clearing the area late Monday.
The school district confirmed in a statement that the victim is now stable.
The search for the shooter continues, leaving some families feeling frustrated.
“It is very scary -- when we get those alerts on the phone, it is very scary,” Johnson said. “I’m hoping everything is OK.”