Student shot outside Reynolds High School in stable condition, gunman remains at large

The male student who was shot outside of Reynolds High School on Tuesday is now in stable condition at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.  

At a press conference Wednesday morning, Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough, Jr. confirmed the investigation is active and the shooter remains at large. 

He said the teenager's injury – a shot to the leg – would likely prevent him from walking the same way again. 

Kimbrough said solving the issue of gun violence in Winston-Salem schools would require further community involvement. 

"A lot of the issues that are surfacing in school, originated in the community and they surface in the school," Kimbrough said. "It’s no different than police responding to issues, it’s no different than the school system. That is why we need a community effort to resolve the issues that are happening in schools."

Kimbrough and Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neill offered little other information regarding the case. Neither confirmed the number of assailants or shared identifying features.  

O'Neill did reference the recently enacted amendment to North Carolina’s Raise the Age Act. 

"Law enforcement has that authority, from the jump, from the arrest, to take a 16 or 17-year-old directly to adult court," O'Neill said. "I can promise you as I have in the past, the punishment will be swift and severe." 

WCFCS Superintendent Reacts

Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools Superintendent Tricia McManus on Wednesday thanked school staff for acting quickly and highlighted the importance of practice drills.

She said the shooting happened minutes after dismissal – that made going into lockdown more difficult as students were all over campus rather than in their classrooms. 

All students who were brought back into the school were reunited with their parents and guardians by 7 p.m. 

McManus said over a third of Reynolds students did not attend class Wednesday morning. 

She encouraged parents to send their kids back to school, noting the increase in law enforcement on campus and the presence of crisis counselors. 

"I am in our high schools and schools regularly," McManus said. "Yes it is very frustrating to see that children are doing anything that’s violent or anything that would put another child in harm’s way but honestly, the majority of the time that is not what you see."

The superintendent also invited parents and guardians to participate in the district's "See for Yourself" program, which allows parents to visit their child's school during operating hours. 

This is the second firearms-related incident at Winston Salem Forsyth County Schools this academic year.