AUSTIN, Texas — Two 14-year-olds now face criminal charges for their role in a shooting near Akins High School on Tuesday.
In an update on Thursday, Austin and Austin ISD police said the incident started as an argument around 2 p.m. and then escalated. The teens were also reportedly seen running from the area following the shooting.
When police arrived they found a 17-year-old with a gunshot wound to his back. Two suspects were located and detained within a mile of the scene. Police said one of them was still possessing a gun.
Detective Bryan Pietrowski said one of the teens was charged with aggravated assault, while the other has been charged with unlawfully carrying a weapon. Both teens are being held at the Gardner Betts Juvenile Center in South Austin.
According to Pietrowski, the two suspects have “a little bit of history” and are documented in their database. Austin ISD Police Chief Wayne Sneed added that one of the teens is a current Austin ISD student, while the other is a former student.
Sneed also called the incident tragic and unfortunate, saying he wants to assure the community that campus safety is a top priority for the district.
“We are constantly evaluating our methods, the standards and protocols that we have in place to make sure that they’re current,” Sneed said. “And we continue doing what we’re doing.”
Officials stated they have no reason to believe the gun was ever on campus at Akins High School. Anyone with additional information on the shooting should contact Austin police.
Parents worried about safety after shooting
One Akins High School parent, Heboleta Casas, shared her concerns after the shooting, saying the campus needs more security given its growing student body.
“When you don’t know where the problem is taking place, they get worried and stressed,” Casas said. “My daughter has told me that they will be in class, anxious and tense and when they hear that, it’s just double the worry for them.”
Josh Pearson lives near Akins High School and noticed the large police presence as he picked his child up from day care. He said the shooting makes him wonder about where his children will attend school in the future.
“Until you have kids … I don’t think you really understand or think about the massive weight of how these schools affect and shape our kids,” Pearson said. “Hearing that stuff happen across the street from where we live makes us curious … do we want to put him in that school or move him to a different school further away?”