NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Parents and students are still being reunified after a shooting inside Antioch High School Wednesday morning. Some tell News 2 they are still waiting to get in contact with their loved ones who attend the school.
Malissa Tate, the parent of an AHS student said, “We don’t ever feel like it could happen so close to home, but it could happen anywhere these days. But it’s just scary when there’s nothing you can really do,” she said. “They need metal detectors in every school.”
Two students waiting for reunification said once the school was placed into lockdown, they were locked in their classrooms. One of the students said she sat in a closet until the lockdown lifted. The girls thanked their teacher for keeping them and their classmates calm and safe during the lockdown.
📧 Have breaking news come to you: Subscribe to News 2 email alerts →
One of the students told reporters, “We don’t know what happened today because usually they will threaten the school, but nothing will really happen. And I don’t really blame the teachers for telling us to go back into the school because they’re just trying to make sure we’re safe.”
A parent waiting for his two children who attend the school told News 2, “Our daughter, she was in the cafeteria like minutes before it happened. They rushed her to a room. We are in contact with her now, but not with my son, so we don’t know what’s going on,” he said.
Other family members waiting at the reunification sites were grateful to be in contact with their loved ones. One woman waiting at the reunification site for her younger brother, who was on the same floor at the time the shooting took place, said he was able to let her know he was safe. She was still waiting to be reunited with him at the time of publication.
A mother waiting for her daughter had a word of advice for other parents in the same situation.
“Just stay calm. It is chaotic out here,” she said. “Just try to make contact with your child.”
Buses of students were still arriving at the reunification centers around 1 p.m.
A reunification site for parents has been established at 3754 Murfreesboro Pike. Buses will be taking students there, including car riders. Parents needing information regarding reunification can call 615-401-1712.
