Police Fatally Shoot 'Potential Intruder' At Alabama Elementary School

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On Thursday, an Alabama school resource officer shot and killed a suspicious man' who attempted to enter a locked school.

The man allegedly arrived on school grounds around 9.30 a.m. on Thursday and 'aggressively' attempted to enter vehicles and the building at Walnut Park Elementary in Gadsden, according to the sheriff.

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According to AL.com, the elementary school immediately went into lockdown.

The school officer, who also works for Rainbow City Police, allegedly got into a physical altercation with the suspect after responding to an assistance call from the principal.

The suspect was fatally shot. According to WHNT 19, the resource officer suffered minor injuries and was taken to the hospital.

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It is unknown whether the man was armed. According to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the suspect attempted to obtain the officer's service weapon (ALEA).

'An individual was attempting to make forcible entry into a marked Rainbow City patrol vehicle at which point a School Resource Officer with the Rainbow City Police Department attempted to stop the subject,' ALEA said in a statement viewed by the Gadsden Times.

'The subject resisted and attempted to take the officer's firearm.'

It is unclear what the man's motive was. 

Superintendent Tony Reddick said Principal Alison Correll was notified about a 'potential intruder, who was trying to come in or out several doors of the building.' 

'I got a call from the principal, who's really distraught, and I really couldn't make out what was happening, but I knew it was something pretty bad.' 

By the time he arrived at the school, the man was already dead.  

He went on to say: 'The principal was alerted immediately, [and] she went around and made sure it was all secure,' Reddick told the press. He said the principal next contacted the officer and moved 'curious' teachers away from the area. 

A summer literacy program was reportedly taking place inside, with approximately 35 children attending. According to the Gadsden Times, about 20 other students from the Parks and Recreation summer camp were also on campus.

Reddick also stated that all the doors remained locked and that the intruder never entered the school. He claimed the kids were oblivious to what was going on.

Following the incident, a crime scene unit was seen on school grounds, and a large police presence remains.

Parents were told to bring identification to pick up their children, according to WHNT.

'We're just so thankful that none of this involved the children,' Reddick told the press. 'Everyone followed the safety protocols that we've drilled on.' 

Praising the work of the school resource officer, Horton also highlighted the work the district has done in light of the shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

"Our schools, especially after ... what's happened in Texas, we have one of the largest school resource officers programs in Etowah County, preaching that these doors stay locked. That the individual was not able to make it inside the school," he said.  

"From the school resource officer's standpoint -- he did exactly what should be done. He went straight to the threat, he confronted it and he dealt with it. It ended in, unfortunately, the death of the suspect, but that's the safest alternative. To keep that threat out of that school," he added.

'Our doors are locked. Anyone who does not have a pass...they don't get into the building. And we've got cameras, so we can see what's at the door. [Visitors] have to be buzzed in or let in, if we feel they are appropriate. 

'In fact, in most situations, we handle the situations outside the front door.' 

According to the Gadsden Times, he also stated that the school will review its response to the situation to see if it can be strengthened.

'At the end of the day, the good news is no one made it into the building, and the kids were safe,' Etowah County Sheriff Jonathan Horton told AL.com. 

The incident is being investigated by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency's State Bureau.