Houston School Shooting Suspect Surrendered to Authorities and Was a Former Student; One Employee Reported Injured

The Houston school shooting suspect has surrendered "without incident" when officers arrived at the scene within minutes after the call.

The police noted that once inside the school they came upon the suspect armed with a rifle, according to an ABC News report.

Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said that the suspect had gained entry by shooting on the glass door and immediately fired upon one of the employees of the school.

The employee was described as a white male and had sustained a gunshot wound to the back.

The suspect was identified as a 25-year-old Black male and was known to be a former student of the school.

Officers administered first aid to the wounded employee and was taken to the hospital. Finner said that he's in a "serious condition" and is in surgery.

Houston School Shooting

Finner said that nobody or any kid should witness the incident, "but it's the world that we live in," CBS News reports.

YES Prep Southwest Secondary students were transported to a staging area where students could meet them, according to the school's administration.

The school had asked parents to avoid driving around the premises and instead instructed them to meet their children at a nearby staging area.

In a statement, the school said that the Houston Police Department had blocked the roads and is currently gathering information.

A seventh grader who was evacuated from the school said that they saw blood and glass shattering everywhere when they were coming out.

One parent identified as Tonya Armstrong said that her daughter called her and said a shooter was inside the school premises. Armstrong said that she was trying to be calm and she saw all the kids running out with their hands up and crying.

One student said that the school had practiced active shooter drills just two days before the actual shooting. The student said that they were told to run outside, then into the gym, and get in a room. The student added that it was really scary and everybody was crying. She noted that they had just practiced lockdown and now it's really happening.

U.S. School Shooting

The recent school shooting had prompted one leader to call for action to prioritize child safety.

Abbie Kaman, a Houston city council member and chair of public safety, said that people must do more than offer thoughts and prayers, according to an ABC 13 News report.

She said that when the standard for a "good" school shooting scenario is that no students were shot, something is broken.

Kaman noted that a child's right to safety must be prioritized over guns.

There have been 14 school shootings since March despite thousands of schools remaining partially or entirely closed due to the pandemic, according to a June Washington Post report.

The recent count was considered the highest total over that period during any year since 1999.

In addition, more than a quarter of a million children have been exposed to gun violence during school hours since the Columbine High massacre 22 years ago.

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Houston school shooting update: The latest on the incident at YES Prep Southwest Secondary school - from KHOU 11