Student accused of firing shots outside Henrico school

Henrico County school officials locked down the Virginia Randolph Community High School campus yesterday afternoon and police closed area roads after shots were fired in the school parking lot.

Henrico police said the 12:30 p.m. incident was resolved within 30 minutes when a teenager was arrested a short distance from the school and a handgun was recovered.

"No one was hurt -- no teachers or students," said Henrico police Lt. Doug Perry.

The suspect, a 16-year-old student at the school on Mountain Road in central Henrico, was arrested in a wooded area.

"There were multiple sightings," Perry said, noting that every police officer in the county received an image by computer of the gunman during the search. Police would not say where the image came from. "It was remarkable what the technology can do."

Several parents came to the school after initial reports of the shooting, but they were kept away from the immediate grounds because of the uncertainty about the gunman's location. The school was locked down until at least 4 p.m., and last night's adult-education classes at the school were canceled.

An emergency message was sent to all contact telephone numbers of students at that time, said Mychael Dickerson, a school system spokesman. The message reported that there had been a shooting, a suspect was in custody and no one had been hurt, Dickerson said.

He said school operations returned to normal and that counseling services will be available today.

Police refused to identify the suspect because he is a juvenile. He initially was charged with felony attempted malicious wounding and possession of a firearm on school property.

Perry said police believe the gunman targeted a specific student.

Students at Virginia Randolph include special-needs children as well as youths with a history of discipline problems, Dickerson said. He said privacy laws prohibit him from disclosing whether the student was in either category.

It was not clear whether the weapon was carried inside the school. There is no metal-detector system to check every student entering, but some students occasionally are checked for contraband with a hand wand, Dickerson said.

Contact Bill McKelway at (804) 649-6601 or .