McKinley High School student was stabbed, not shot, Buffalo police say

Photos: McKinley High School shooting/stabbing incident

A police source and school official late Wednesday confirmed that the student had been stabbed, not shot, which police on the scene had said earlier in the day.

The incident prompted a large police response, when local, state and federal law enforcement, some in SWAT team gear with assault rifles, surrounded the campus, and more than 100 students still inside at the time of the incident were placed on lockdown while worried parents stood outside for hours in the cold.

No arrests had been made late Wednesday.

Just prior to shots ringing out, there was a physical altercation between a group of people in the school’s parking lot, a police source told The Buffalo News. Police on the scene initially said that both the student and the guard had suffered bullet wounds.

The boy underwent surgery. Police spokesman Michael J. DeGeorge said late Wednesday he was recovering at Oishei Children’s Hospital.

"During surgery it was determined that the 14 year old male student was stabbed multiple times and not shot," DeGeorge said in a text late Wednesday.

The security guard's gunshot wound was not life-threatening, DeGeorge said.

"We are aggressively working this case," said Deputy Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia. "We have a lot of investigators on this."

Police have not released a name or a description of the suspect. Gramaglia would not say whether the suspect was believed to be a student.

He asked anyone with information about the incident to call the police.

He said Buffalo police were being assisted by the FBI, State Police and Erie County Sheriff's Office. At least two armored SWAT vehicles were seen pulling up in front of the school. Squad cars, ambulances and uniformed officers ringed the Elmwood Avenue campus and the Erie County Sheriff's Office helicopter circled overhead for more than an hour.

The incident took place at about 3:45 p.m., about 20 minutes after classes were let out, Gramaglia said.

 It took place at the end of a walkway by the parking lot on the southern side of the school, Gramaglia said.

There were roughly 100 students and several teachers in the school at the time of the shooting.

The school was placed on lockdown protocol at first as police went through the building looking for shooters. After it was determined the school was safe, the school was downgraded to a shelter-in-place mode. At 6:30 p.m., police were still working with schools officials to release students to parents.

A group of parents had assembled outside, whose children were inside. They told reporters police and school officials were not giving them any information about the situation. Children inside the school calling their parents said that everyone had been moved into the cafeteria and they were being fed dinner while waiting to be let go. 

SUNY Buffalo State police sent out an alert via Twitter to the campus telling people about "an armed person near campus" who was last seen at the high school on Elmwood, headed toward Route 198.

"Immediately shelter in place," the campus police tweeted. That order has since been lifted, Buffalo State officials said on Twitter. 

McKinley will switch to remote learning for at least the next three days "to reset" the school in a "phased approach," Buffalo Schools Superintendent Kriner Cash said. He said it's possible McKinley students would remain on remote all next week, too.

He said there have been several incidents at McKinley recently and that the district added 15 staff members to help keep the calm at the school.

"Please be assured that we are doing everything we can to continue to keep all of our students safe, and we will have McKinley back very shortly," Cash told reporters.

"We certainly want to pray for the young man in the hospital," Cash said.

News staff reporter Mary Pasciak contributed to this report.