A second-grade student was injured Wednesday morning after accidentally firing a gun inside an elementary school classroom, prompting a police investigation and a brief lockdown.
Authorities said the 7-year-old boy suffered a gunshot wound to his hand after bringing a firearm to Freetown Elementary School in Glen Burnie, Maryland. The gun discharged around 8:30 a.m., according to WUSA9, CBS Baltimore and The Baltimore Sun.
Other students were inside the classroom at the time, but no one else was hurt.
Anne Arundel County Police said the child was holding the gun when it went off. Police Chief Amal Awad said a teacher quickly secured the weapon and provided aid until first responders arrived.
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“None of us can imagine the terror or the fear that students experienced here this morning, and the teacher,” Awad said, according to CBS Baltimore.
County fire officials said the child was taken to Shock Trauma with injuries that were not life-threatening.
Investigators are working to determine how the student obtained the gun. Detectives preliminarily believe the firearm came from the boy’s home, CBS Baltimore reported.
Schools Superintendent Mark Bedell said the building was placed on hold during the incident, and students were dismissed early at 11:15 a.m. Crisis counselors are expected to be on site Wednesday and Thursday, with classes expected to resume Thursday.
Police said witnesses are being interviewed as the investigation continues.
