A male teacher has been released from hospital after he was shot inside a Fordham Heights school on Wednesday morning, police said. No school children were present at the time of the shooting. The school, M.S. 391, The Angelo Patri School, located on the campus of X225 Theatre Arts Production Company School at 2190 Folin Street, is next to Twin Park towers, the site of the January 2022 fatal fire, in which 17 people died, including 8 children, mostly of Gambian descent.

 

During a press conference held outside M.S. police officials, including Inspector Tracy Mulet of the school safety division and Inspector Jeremy Scheublin, commanding officer of the 46th Precinct and former commanding officer of the 52nd Precinct, joined by Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, said the incident unfolded at 11.50 a.m. when officers from the 46th Precinct received a 911 call for reports of a male shot.

 

NYPD Deputy Chief Keiyon Ramsey, executive officer for Patrol Borough Bronx, said, “Upon arrival, officers discovered a 33-year-old male with a graze wound to his right palm on the 6th floor of the building. The male victim is a teacher here at the school and was preparing his room for the first day of class tomorrow when a bullet entered the classroom through a window, striking him.”

He continued, “Thankfully, there were no children inside the school or around the school at the time of the incident. Also, let me clear, this bullet was not fired from inside the school and at this point of the investigation, we believe it was fired from a long distance away. The school was not targeted.”

 

Ramsey concluded, “Our victim was removed to St. Barnabas Hospital where he was treated and released. One fired bullet was recovered from the classroom and processed by our evidence-collection team. Out of an abundance of caution, tomorrow, we will have additional school safety agents and police officers on site to ensure the children coming tomorrow and their parents feel safe and are safe.”

 

Deputy Chief Louis Deceglie, commanding officer of Detective Bureau Bronx, said the bureau was working diligently to try to determine where exactly the shot came from and who fired it. “We’re currently searching all rooftops nearby looking for both ballistic evidence and video evidence,” he said. Deceglie added that police were asking anyone with information to please call 1800-577-8477 or 1800 577-8477-TIPS.

 

In response to a question about the direction of the shot, police said they believe it came from an elevated surface. In response to another question about the availability of guns in the borough, police added that their number one priority was to get guns off the streets.

 

Reacting to the shooting, Gibson said in part, “On the eve of a new school year, we experienced a deeply troubling incident that should never occur in our community. We are immensely relieved and grateful that [the teacher] is recovering, but this situation highlights a broader public safety issue that demands our urgent attention.”

 

She continued, “Our schools should be sanctuaries of learning and growth, not places of fear. The safety of our students and educators must be a top priority, and incidents like these underscore the need for more effective measures to protect our residents from gun violence. Out of precaution, we are adding additional school support staff, including counselors at MS 391, and additional School Safety Agents.”

Gibson sought to reassure educators and parents that children would be safe returning to school tomorrow. “To ensure their continued safety, we will continue to work with local law enforcement and community leaders to keep our scholars, educators, and school staff safe in and out of the classroom,” she said. “Our thoughts are with the affected teacher and his family, and we stand united in our determination to foster a safe and supportive educational atmosphere for all.”

 

Meanwhile, Everytown gun violence awareness advocates announced on Aug. 30 that Polymer80, the largest producer of ghost gun kits and parts in the country, has shut down. Ghost guns, are guns that are ordered online and assembled at home. The group said the announcement follows multiple lawsuits brought against Polymer80 by Everytown Law, adding that Polymer80’s non-serialized, untraceable ghost guns, bought and built without background checks, have been fueling the gun violence crisis for years.

 

As reported, the family of the late, 16-year-old, Bronx teen, Angellyh Marieh Yambo, had also filed a civil lawsuit on March 27 against Polymer80, Inc., which equipped Angellyh’s 17-year-old shooter, Jeremiah Ryan, with an untraceable firearm. In response to the news of the shutdown, The Angellyh Yambo Foundation issued a statement, saying, “The shutdown of Polymer80, a manufacturer of firearm kits, is a positive step that could help save lives.”

 

The statement continued, “However, vigilance is required, as the company may attempt to evade the law by operating under a different name or relocating to another state. Continued availability of these firearm kits on the streets has enabled individuals to continue to build kits which have become weapons of choice for criminals; they are using these ghost guns to harm innocent people and destroy families.” Polymer80 is headquartered in Dayton, Nevada. As of Nov. 13, the case was still pending in the courts and the Angellyh Yambo Foundation confirmed that its lawsuit is not part of the Everytown Law lawsuit.

 

As reported at the time, Angellyh, who spent much of her childhood in Kingsbridge Heights and who was honored with a street co-naming ceremony in the neighborhood, was just 16 when she was fatally shot while walking home from University Prep Charter High School in Mott Haven, along with two of her friends on April 8, 2022. Her family, friends, and teacher say she was a talented artist and had her sights set on becoming a doctor. Her school friends held an anti-gun violence march in her memory during Gun Violence Awareness Month in June 2022. Ryan was later sentenced to 15 years for the fatal shooting.

 

Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15) who represents Fordham Heights, among other Bronx neighborhoods, visited M.S. 391, as reported, on Oct. 30, 2023, to fund its urban farming program which is run by NY Sun Works. The congressman was also behind the introduction in Congress of the Angellyh Yambo Gun Gree Zone Expansion Act, introduced in memory of Angellyh, as reported.

 

The Angellyh Yambo Foundation also issued a statement in reference to the latest school shooting in Fordham Heights, saying, “Passing the Angellyh Yambo Gun Free Zone Expansion Act of 2023 could provide the legal protection to effectively enforce the gun-free zones and provide school safety. We must act to protect our students, teachers, and staff from gun violence, both within and beyond school grounds. This cannot happen without the support of our political leaders.”

 

Norwood News contacted NYC Department of Education (DOE) and the congressman for comment on the latest incident at M.S. 391. Jenna Lyle, a spokesperson for the DOE, said, “This egregious display of violence is both upsetting and reprehensible. NYPD immediately responded to the scene where one educator sustained non-life-threatening injuries. We will provide support additional support to this school community.”

 

Meanwhile, Torres said, “The shooting of a teacher at the Bronx’s M.S. 391 is a harsh wake-up call on the urgent need to tackle gun violence in our community and nation head-on. Classrooms should inspire hope, not fear. While I’m thankful the teacher is recovering, no educator or Bronxite should ever be put in harm’s way while serving their community or simply peacefully going about their day. Our students and teachers at M.S. 391—and across the Bronx—deserve far better, and it’s time we take serious action to protect them.”

 

Norwood News had previously reported on the stabbing of a teacher by a member of the public at P.S. 69 in Soundview in 2022.

 

On Monday, Sept. 2, during the Labor Day Parade, the NYPD said officers from its Community Response Team recovered seven illegal guns. Click here to view the edited “BWC” and drone footage of one of the arrests, shared by the NYPD. On the same day, one man was shot and died and others were shot and injured at the West Indian Day Parade in Brooklyn.

 

On the same day as the shooting occurred at M.S. 391 in The Bronx, NBC News reported on a separate school shooting in Georgia in which two students, and two teachers were killed. A 14-year-old is in custody.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, on X @NYPDTips.

 

All calls are strictly confidential.

 

*David Greene contributed to this story.