Parkland student hit by shrapnel after gun in backpack misfires

A juvenile has been charged with having a firearm on school grounds after a student was injured by shrapnel Tuesday at Parkland High School in Winston-Salem.

The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office says the gun was misfired from the juvenile’s backpack. 

In an email to Parkland students and parents, principal Noel Keener said that the investigation began when the victim reported that she had been struck in the leg by an object during lunch. She didn’t know what had wounded her.

It was later determined the object was shrapnel from a bullet. 

The incident is the latest crime to hit Parkland this spring. In April, the district warned that the school had received a bomb threat. And a student who was recorded allegedly assaulting a teacher will be tried as an adult, court officials announced last week.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Superintendent Tricia McManus spoke about the impact the string of incidents is having on students and staff at Parkland. 

“What I've seen, when I'm actually there is there is so much great happening even this morning, I think for the kids and for the staff, they feel like these, these individual incidents shed a negative light on the school, and on what's happening in the school on a daily basis,” McManus said.

The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office says the juvenile has been charged with a felony. Officials say additional charges may be filed.