SOUTH GATE, CA – A shooting broke out at Legacy High School in South Gate on Thursday night. Gunfire erupted following a football game against South East High. Authorities have reported that as the game concluded around 9:30 p.m., officers from the Los Angeles School Police Department spotted an individual carrying a firearm. The identity of this person remains uncertain as to whether they were a student.
In a bid to intervene, an officer attempted to confront the armed individual. However, the suspect defied orders and fled the scene, making a hasty escape in a white SUV. Shortly thereafter, the suspect allegedly struck a school police officer with the vehicle, injuring the officer and running over their foot. Witnesses at the scene recounted that another school police officer discharged their weapon, firing shots at the suspect’s SUV. Subsequently, the suspect fled but collided with a parked car off-campus.
Amidst the chaos that ensued, students and staff were swiftly ushered into the school’s auditorium, and the campus was placed on lockdown as a precautionary measure. The suspect was taken to a local hospital with injuries deemed non-life-threatening. Furthermore, two LASPD officers were also hospitalized for minor injuries that they sustained during the incident.
The lockdown was eventually lifted later in the evening, but confusion and concern lingered among students and parents. Some were uncertain about the nature of the incident, with varying reports circulating. Some believed a police officer had been shot, while others feared an active shooter on the campus. Given recent events in Maine, where tragedy struck earlier in the week, anxiety and apprehension were palpable among Legacy High School’s community.
School officials have announced that counselors will be available on campus to provide support and assistance to students and staff on the following day. The investigation is ongoing, as authorities work to piece together the details surrounding this unsettling event.