Student pulls out gun and shoots self at Georgia middle school

A Georgia student has been left in critical condition after shooting himself on a high school campus.

The terrifying incident happened on Wednesday at Lindley Middle School in Mableton.

In an email sent to students’ families and seen by DailyMail.com, school officials said: “Earlier today, one of our students used a firearm to harm himself.”

That student remains in the hospital “surrounded by family,” the email said.

A “Code Red” was issued and a Cobb County District Police officer responded to the scene and worked with administrators to “secure the weapon.”

Max Oquendo, a 14-year-old student at Lindley, told DailyMail.com it was “traumatizing” to hear the sirens ringing across the campus, shutting them down.

He had been in class for about 25 minutes when the alarm went off and he repeated, “This is code red.” This isn’t a drill.’

Seconds later, the lights went out and his teacher led his class to the back of the room and closed the door.

A few minutes later, Max heard a loud bang that “sounded like a gunshot,” immediately followed by screaming.

“There’s just screaming and yelling coming from the hallway,” he said.

“Every sound we don’t know if it’s going to be a gunman coming towards us and that would be it,” he said.

Max said his class was in lockdown for more than 90 minutes, most of which they had no idea what was going on outside. A fellow student checked the news on his phone and they watched as helicopters hovered almost directly above their classroom.

Eventually a second alarm was raised, with the warning changed to ‘code green’ but the warning that the lockdown was still in effect.

“Do not open the doors or allow anyone to enter the classroom,” the warning read.

Eventually the police came and released Max’s class.

“It was just chaos outside,” he said. ‘Ambulance, police, news and press and people.’

Max and the other students were walked to church, where he was reunited with his parents. “It was traumatizing,” he said.

Officials lifted the lockdown and code red when it became clear there was no threat to other students. They treat the incident as an isolated event of self-harm.

“We can confirm that the victim is a minor,” police added. “Out of respect for their families and the ongoing investigation, we cannot share any further details about their condition or confirm any other specifics.”

The secondary school is attended by 905 students aged 11 to 14. Parents were told to pick up their children at Leland Memorial United Methodist Church.

Counseling services will be offered to students and staff, officials said.

Mableton Mayor Michael Owens released a statement after the tragic incident offering “prayers and respect” to the child’s family in hopes of a “full recovery.”

“The city is working with the Cobb County Police Department and the Cobb County Board of Education to ensure that this isolated event does not disrupt the element of safety and security we want to provide for students as they learn.”

It comes just months after Georgia’s deadliest school shooting, which left four people dead.

Colt Gray, 14, has been charged in connection with the massacre at Apalachee High School in Winder.

He is accused of shooting dead two students and two teachers during the disaster.

Gray’s father Colin Gray has also been charged with manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter for allegedly giving his son the gun.

Students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, and teachers Christina Irimie and Richard Aspinwall were all killed in the shooting.

This week, teachers at the school were preparing to walk through metal detectors for the first time after it emerged another student had brought a gun to school.

This is a current news item. Check back regularly for updates…