MARINE PARK, Brooklyn (WABC) — A woman is clinging to life after being shot in the head in what investigators now believe was a suicide attempt.
The 36-year-old mother was found sitting on a park bench outside Marine Park Junior High School 278 on Tuesday around 4pm.
Students and faculty were locked down while investigators combed the area for evidence.
The woman was taken to Brookdale Hospital, where she is listed in critical condition.
Police are still looking for the used weapon, which was not found at the scene, and are investigating whether someone may have taken it.
Witnesses say the woman was arguing with the man, believed to be the father of their child, just before the gunshot rang out.
A man was seen on CCTV entering the park without the child and then leaving the park with the 1-year-old child. He then drove away from the scene.
Policemen stopped him nearby and took him to a nearby department for a conversation.
He is not expected to face charges in connection with the shooting.
Before the shooting, the woman sent a note to the police. Investigators are investigating whether it was a suicide note.
The child was not injured during the incident.
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At the school, however, dozens of terrified students, like 12-year-old Kamia Marrero, were forced to stay in the auditorium.
“It was scary because it’s shocking that they would do this in front of my school,” Marrero said.
A seventh-grader who heard the gunshot broke down in tears as she told her mom she didn’t feel safe.
“It’s scary as a mother, you know you send your kids to school and you know, you don’t expect something like this to happen,” said mother Iheisha Civil.
A crowd of parents grew outside during what was supposed to be a smooth first day of the after-school program at JHS 278 Marine Park.
Jetta Bonds received an automated call from the school saying there had been a shooting and the students were safe inside.
“You see tape everywhere. I’m like what happened, I’m texting my son and he’s not answering, I was nervous,” Bonds said.
The Department of Education released a statement regarding the incident.
“The safety of our students is our top priority. Following an off-campus incident unrelated to the school, that school went into a shelter-in-place, which has now been lifted,” the statement said.
While the parents waited anxiously, detectives combed the scene.
The students were eventually released to their relieved parents, in the dark, hours after their scheduled pick-up time.
Eyewitness News reporter Chantee Lans confronted Marrero, who was reunited with her mother.
“I feel really happy because I’m out of that building, my building is right there, and because I’m just happy to be going home,” she said.
If you’re struggling with suicidal thoughts or worried about a friend or loved one, help is available. Call 988 Suicide and crisis by dialing 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or text TALK to 741-741 or visit 988lifeline.org/ for free confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Even if it seems like it, you are not alone.
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