Michael Brandon Hill, was the detained gunman who walked into a DeKalb County elementary school on yesterday armed with multiple guns. Slipped in behind an employee at Ronald E. McNair Discovery Learning Academy before confronting office staff about 1 p.m., officials said.
DeKalb County Police Chief Cedric Alexander said the 20-year-old suspect fired on officers as they arrived and officers returned fire.
“When we received the call and we engaged, he started to fire from inside the school at our officers. He had one or two of the staff members inside the main office. He was holding them captive,” Alexander said.
Channel 2 investigative reporter Mark Winne confirmed that the suspect was apprehended by DeKalb County sheriff’s deputies and U.S. Marshals inside the school “without incident, without resistance.”
“When I arrived at the scene I saw the male subject standing outside, shooting a couple of rounds off,” one of deputies said.
No injuries were reported.
News Chopper 2 showed video of children running from the school and huddling near a fence in a field behind the building.
Alexander said that officers feared the man had explosives in the car or the building and multiple guns, including an AK-47. Firefighters cut a hole in a nearby residence so children could evacuate the school grounds through the back of that home.
“We could not bring the children around to the front of the school because we didn’t know if explosives were in the vehicle,” Alexander said. “Now, this deviates from our typical plan, but this was a very unusual situation, where we had to get the kids away from any possible explosives.”
Investigators said Hill would be charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, terroristic threats and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
“When I first heard about the incident I rushed to the school to see if everything is all right. When I got here they’d caught the guy and that’s a good thing. Man, I just heard all the kids are fine. Just good to have your little one back with you,” parent Antonio Johnson said. –Joi Pearson @JoiAPearson
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