FEDERAL WAY, Wash. — Parents in Federal Way are expressing concerns after an elementary school did not go into lockdown when a child was shot on campus.
Just after 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday, the King County Sheriff’s Office responded to Lakeland Elementary and found a juvenile with a gunshot wound.
Federal Way Public Schools says the shooting involved Sequoyah Middle School students.
“The biggest frustration is at 3:05 p.m., the kids were released. Kids were put on buses, kids were allowed to walk home, kids were allowed to leave with parents,” said parent Danny Quintero.
Quintero’s daughter is a fifth grader at Lakeland Elementary who was in her classroom at the time of the shooting.
“Twenty minutes before my daughter was released, they knew about it. I just don’t understand,” he said.
Federal Way Public Schools (FWPS) told KIRO 7 the shooting happened on the far side of Lakeland Elementary’s playground, which is furthest away from school buildings. The district says no students were in the area at the time of the shooting.
Deputies confirm a suspect was apprehended soon after, and there was no threat to the public.
In a statement, Federal Way Public Schools responded to KIRO 7, saying, in part:
“At no time did we hear or see anything that would warrant a lockdown and we were not informed of the incident until after it had occurred. By the time the school and District were informed, law enforcement shared that the scene was secured, there was no immediate danger, and there was no need for a lockdown as the suspect was in custody.”
Quintero says the school did not email parents until nearly five hours after the shooting, explaining why there wasn’t a lockdown.
“You hope that there is a plan in place, especially with cell phones being at the tips of our fingers at all times. There’s absolutely no excuse for why those children were released from that school,” he said.
It wasn’t until Wednesday afternoon, about 25 hours after the incident, that parents received an email from FWPS about what happened.
“I’d like it to stop being downplayed. I get it. Shootings happen every day, everywhere. This is my family, this is my community,” he said.
Even though the suspect was arrested, Quintero believes there needs to be more communication with parents and students.
" I believe there should be an officer that runs to the school, I don’t care where at in the school, but make sure that kids do not leave that building,” Quintero said.
The school district told KIRO 7 that safety for students remains a top priority.
“Our focus remains steadfast on maintaining a safe, secure, and supportive environment where every student can learn, grow, and thrive and we will continue to take every necessary step to protect the well-being of our school community.”
The Washington State Legislature lists safe school plans, requirements, duties of school districts and schools, drills, rules, and first responder agencies on their website.
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