One teen was reported shot in the leg and police were searching for a possible suspect vehicle in a shooting outside 23rd Ave’s Garfield High School as school got out for the day.

Seattle Fire was called to the scene around 2:42 PM to treat and transport a shooting victim to the hospital.

SPD reported shell casings were located in a crosswalk at Jefferson and 23rd amid crowds of students leaving school.

UPDATE: Police believe the student was hit in the crossfire of an exchange of gunfire between two vehicles and are reviewing video evidence from the multitude of witnesses and security cameras in the area. Officers collected a mix of shell casings at the scene indicating at least two weapons were used in the rolling shootout.

Both Garfield and nearby Nova High School were reported in “shelter in place” status during the response.

23rd Ave was closed to traffic during the investigation.

The gun violence comes as Mayor Bruce Harrell is prepared to launch a series of public safety forums Thursday night.

UPDATE; SPD has posted a brief on the incident:

Officers were called to the scene at 2:40 p.m. on March 13. It was reported shots were fired from an SUV as it traveled southbound on 23^rd Avenue and turned onto East Jefferson Street. Investigators learned that a female juvenile was struck in the right leg. Seattle fire crews arrived to the scene and provided first aid. The victim was transported to Harborview Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. After the shots were fired, nearby schools including Garfield High School, went into a shelter-in-place. The scene was secured. Right now, there is no clear suspect information available. No one else was injured in the shooting. Anyone with information about this shooting is asked to call the SPD Violent Crimes Tip Line at (206) 233-5000.

UPDATE x2: In a message to staff and families, Garfield principal: Dr. Tarance Hart confirmed the victim is a student at the school:

Our school went into a shelter-in-place this afternoon because of gunfire in our neighborhood.

Unfortunately, a Garfield student was shot in a drive-by shooting at the bus stop near Ezell’s Chicken on 23rd Ave. The student is being treated at Harborview Medical Center. We are notifying the student’s family.

During a shelter in place, the outside doors of the school are locked while normal school operations are ongoing.

Please know that we take safety in our buildings very seriously; the well-being of our students is our top concern.

Seattle Police and the SPS Safety and Security team are investigating.

We are committed to doing everything we can to keep our students safe. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. I will be happy to speak with families and guardians directly.

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