Michela Moore’s phone buzzed with a text message from her daughter, a seventh grader at Lindley Middle School in Mableton, at 2:45 p.m. Wednesday.
The text read, “Love you, Mommy.”
The message was “nothing abnormal,” Moore said in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “And I just texted her back, ‘Love you more.’”
Hours later, Moore would hear her 12-year-old daughter’s account of what happened just before 3 p.m. when a student, her classmate, suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the school bathroom.
The student was flown to a Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta hospital in critical condition, officials said Wednesday. No updates on her condition had been released as of Thursday morning.
“A student at Lindley Middle School tragically used a firearm to commit self-harm, prompting a code red,” the Cobb County School District said in a statement. “School administrators, along with a Cobb County School District police officer, responded immediately and secured the weapon.”
Moore said her daughter, from her seat in class, heard the gunshot ring out down the hallway. She had just come back from that bathroom.
“I see so many families, not just here in Cobb County, but across Georgia and across the nation that’s suffering from gun violence, and this is just too close to home for me,” Moore said. “This is a parent’s worst nightmare.”
The middle school was placed on lockdown, and authorities quickly organized for parents to pick up their children at a nearby church. Investigators said they do not know how the student got the gun into the school and would not say what kind of weapon was used. Cobb police will lead the investigation due to the nature of the girl’s injuries, officials said.
In the wake of Wednesday’s shooting, county and school officials urged parents to check in with their children.
Moore said her daughter is distraught. Like many parents, she is concerned about safety and how schools support children’s mental health needs. And, she wants to know how a student was able to bring the weapon to campus.
“We gotta support our kids better with mental health,” Moore said. “We have to do something because it makes no sense that you can go and take a weapon into a school. How can you get in? How can you get access to a weapon, and you’re 12 years old?”
Cobb is the second-largest school system in the state and spends approximately $35 million per year on safety. The district uses artificial intelligence weapons detectors at large-scale events, Atlanta News First reported in September. But the district does not have weapons detectors in middle schools.
Credit: Ben Hendren
Credit: Ben Hendren
“I’m livid. I’m livid about school safety. I’m livid that I can’t feel that my child’s safety is paramount,” Moore said. “I’m livid that there are not stricter gun laws to prevent young people from getting their hands on it, or metal detectors at schools — some type of deterrent to keep this from happening.”
On Sept. 4, an Apalachee High School student allegedly opened fire inside the Barrow County school, killing two teachers and two classmates and injuring several others, according to investigators. It was the deadliest school shooting in Georgia’s history. The 14-year-old has been charged with several counts of murder in that case. His father has also been charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter after allegedly providing his son with the weapon used.
After that shooting, Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns endorsed bipartisan legislation that would offer gun owners tax incentives for purchasing gun safety equipment. He indicated lawmakers could take additional steps during the legislative session to “examine every reasonable idea and solution to protect and defend the most vulnerable among us — our children — while also protecting the right and privilege of our citizens to protect their families and property,” the AJC previously reported.
Gov. Brian Kemp announced Monday his plan to give Georgia schools an additional $50 million this year for school security. Kemp said he also intends to allocate nearly $900,000 to improve the ratio of school psychologists, which is currently one psychologist per 2,077 students — among the worst ratios in the country. The National Association of School Psychologists recommends one per every 500 students.
Cobb officials said counseling services would be made available to students and staff. Resources can be found at findhelp.cobbcounty.gov or through the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling 988.
Anyone with connections to Lindley Middle School is asked to report concerns to the school district’s tip line.
Moore said she’s praying for the injured girl and her family.
“But I’m just grateful that my daughter wasn’t injured, wasn’t hurt, and that I can put my arms around my daughter tonight.”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution limits reporting on suicide because of concerns that attention can increase the likelihood of suicide in vulnerable individuals. We are reporting limited information in this case because the shooting took place in a school and prompted an emergency alert to be issued.
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