OLATHE, Kan. — Officials have identified the school resource officer injured Friday in a shooting at Olathe East High School.
An 18-year-old student shot SRO Erik Clark and an unidentified school administrator after sources tell FOX4 the student was called to the office area over suspicions he had a gun.
Clark returned fire, injuring the student and disarming him. He then called dispatch to report the shooting all while applying a tourniquet to himself.
The shooting happened around 10:30 a.m., according to the Olathe Police Department. Many students reported hearing the gunshots.
The Olathe Police Department credited Clark for making sure the situation didn’t get any worse. No other students were injured.
Emergency dispatch audio from Broadcastify details Clark’s actions that many are calling heroic.
“From the principal’s office at Olathe East,” Clark radioed to dispatchers.
“I’m applying a tourniquet to myself,” the officer can be heard saying.
“Suspect’s I believe been shot. Principal’s been shot,” he said.
All three victims were taken to Overland Park Regional Medical Center, but Clark has since been released, as well as the school administrator, sources tell FOX4. Hospital officials said one victim remains in critical condition.
Parents were reunified with their students at nearby middle schools after a lockdown that lasted several hours.
The Olathe Police Department’s investigation is ongoing. The Lenexa Police Department is assisting, along with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
As a matter of standard procedure, Officer Clark has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the investigation by the Johnson County Multi-Jurisdictional Officer Involved Shooting Investigation Team.