BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo Police responded to both a shooting and a stabbing on Wednesday at McKinley High School.
A person inside the school contacted 2 On Your Side to say students and staff were in lockdown due to a stabbing and a shooting.
The incidents occurred just before 4 p.m., outside of the school, but on school grounds.
Buffalo Police had said that two people were shot, including a student, who was taken to Oishei Children's Hospital and was in surgery for their wound, according to Buffalo Police at a news conference.
However, a City of Buffalo spokesperson on Wednesday night said the 14-year-old boy "was stabbed multiple times and not shot."
Mayor Byron Brown late Wednesday night said on Twitter that the student "is in stable condition and is being closely monitored. Surgeons were able to determine that he was stabbed multiple times. He was not shot, which was what first responders at the scene initially believed."
The other person injured was a security guard, who was shot in the leg. Their injury was not considered life threatening, according to police, and the security guard was treated at Erie County Medical Center. 2 On Your Side confirmed Thursday afternoon that the security guard's name is Bradley Walker.
Brown added that the security guard "has been treated and released and is expected to fully recover."
Buffalo Police Deputy Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said there was a dispute that occurred near the parking lot of the school. One person pulled out a gun and fired multiple shots.
"It looks like a dispute between multiple persons. We're looking to identify if they were students, or if there are other individuals that came to the school," he said.
There were about 100 students in the building for after-school activities at the time of the shooting, including some teachers. The building was immediately placed in lockdown. Gramaglia said the building was cleared of any further threats and they are working to release students to their parents.
Parents told 2 On Your Side they did not hear about the emergency incident from the district. Many of them lined Elmwood avenue in freezing temperatures waiting to reunite with their children.
"My son called me at about 3:58 p.m. and said there was a shooting in the school. He said he believed someone got shot, and he was scared, and he was crying," BPS mother Latrese Hayes said.
Buffalo Public Schools superintendent Dr. Kriner Cash addressed the communication concerns during a news conference.
"We communicated as soon as we could with our parents because this happened at an awkward time of day, it was at the dismissal time and was at a time when we were still gathering information about what happened. There was a lot of misinformation, I needed to make sure it was accurate," Dr. Cash said.
Buffalo Police said no one is in custody at this time. Gramaglia says their detectives are working with the FBI, State Police and Erie County.
Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a statement Wednesday night.
"My heart is with my hometown of Buffalo tonight," it read in part, while referring to gun violence as a public health crisis.
"I’m praying for the victims and their families, the members of the McKinley High School community, and our brave first responders who responded to this horrific event."
Mayor Brown issued a statement about the shooting earlier in the day, saying on Twitter:
"Today represents a very dark day in our City. As of last night, eight school shootings had occurred across the United States in 2022. Now, the City of Buffalo has the horrible distinction of becoming the ninth.
"The impact of what happened at McKinley High School late this afternoon is still incalculable. Families are shaken, educators and students are distraught, and many of our children are scared.
"The City of Buffalo is here for all of those who are directly impacted by this shooting, and we are here for all of those across our City who have experienced or been impacted by gun violence. We will not rest until we stop this violence."
Police at Buffalo State College have issued an alert to all students to shelter in place. The college is near the high school.
In addition, Buffalo State canceled all evening classes for Wednesday.
"All evening activities and events on campus are also canceled. Do not travel to campus at this time. For those already on campus, please continue to shelter in place," the college said in a tweet.
Buffalo State ended the shelter-in-place order around 6:30 p.m.
2 On Your Side reached out to Buffalo State on Thursday to find out if it has any additional information about the incident or whether its cameras captured anything.
On Thursday, the parking lot at McKinley was nearly empty as students did remote learning.
Buffalo Police asked commuters to avoid Elmwood Avenue between the 198 and Amherst Street while they are on the scene.