Gadsden City Schools Superintendent Tony Reddick told reporters that a “potential intruder” went through several doors trying to enter Walnut Park Elementary School, where a summer literacy program for 34 children was taking place. All outside doors were locked and the principal contacted the school’s resource manager when she realized what was happening, Redick said. The resource officer confronted a man who tried to break into a marked Rainbow police car near the school, according to a statement from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. More police officers from the Ganchen police station showed up to help, the statement said. The man was shot dead after trying to grab the officer’s gun, the agency said. The statement, which did not mention any attempt to enter the school, did not say how many shots were fired or by whom. Officials do not know if the man killed was a “passerby” or something else, Redick said. Authorities did not immediately disclose the identity of the man killed or any details, including whether the man was armed or why he may have been trying to enter the school or patrol car. While the resource officer suffered minor injuries, no students were injured and most did not realize something unusual had happened, Redick said. “Our main concern was just to make sure that someone who was not authorized to be in our building does not come in and our children are safe,” he said. Gadsden is located approximately 60 miles (100 kilometers) northeast of Birmingham.
