Van Nuys school employee, student shot near CHAMPS Charter High School

VAN NUYS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A Van Nuys charter school teacher and student were wounded in a shooting across the street from the campus on Thursday, authorities said.

The shooting was reported shortly after noon outside of CHAMPS Charter High School of the Arts Multimedia & Performing, located in the 6800 block of Van Nuys Boulevard. The school was on lockdown amid the investigation, Los Angeles police said.

Police confirmed the shooting did not take place inside the school but near a Jack in the Box across the street.

At a media briefing, authorities said a female employee of the school and a student were both shot and wounded. The student, an 11th grader, suffered a leg injury and the teacher suffered an arm injury.

The employee of the school is said to be in stable condition, while the student was treated and released.

CHAMPS Charter High School released a statement saying administrators visited the student and teacher, and both were "alert, calm and OK."

Sgt. Barry Montgomery said he doesn't know yet if the victims were targeted.

Los Angeles police said one of two suspects was taken into custody and the second one was found following a barricade situation at an apartment building behind the fast-food restaurant.

Police believe they recovered the weapon that was involved in the incident.

Jordan Duke, the school's communications director, said the shooting occurred during lunch hour, which is when some students and faculty are offsite.

All other students and staff were safe and accounted for, he said. Kids were released to their parents with identification through the main office.

Family members who were near the school to be reunited with students shared their panic.

A woman describes her panic after hearing her family member was sheltering in place during a shooting near a charter school in Van Nuys on Thursday.

"She couldn't call me or anything. They were too scared to call. I guess she thought that they were in the building and didn't want to risk anything by walking outside, so they stayed in the bathroom," one woman said about her sibling, who was eventually escorted to a classroom by law enforcement officers.

"I heard like two shots go off, and I was kind of confused because you don't expect to see this happening at school," CHAMPS Charter High School student Josiah Maitland said. "The door was open and I saw everyone running, and I realized it was real, and I heard the police officers say there were shots fired, so then I went to the nearest classroom, and they had us locked in there for like two hours."

Kayin Quinn, a student at the high school, said some of her classmates were on social media and talking with the press during the afternoon lockdown. She said she did it because it is important to raise awareness about gun violence.

"This is happening a lot everywhere," Quinn said. "I think it's just something people need to take part in to spread around the world because it's an issue that needs to be solved."

Van Nuys Boulevard was closed during the investigation.