BREAKING NEWS ALERT. ♪
>>TOM WILLS: WE CONTINUE TO FOLLOW BREAKING NEWS 41 STUDENTS HAVE BEEN SENT TO
HOSPITALS BECAUSE OF A PEPPER
SPRAY INCIDENT AT HIGHLANDS
MIDDLE SCHOOL ON THE NORTH
SIDE, THIS IS SKY 4 VIDEO OF
FIRST RESPONDERS AT THE SCHOOL
THIS AFTERNOON AND SUPERINTENDENT DOCTOR DIANA GREENE JUST SPOKE WITH
REPORTERS A LITTLE
WHILE AGO THE HAVE PERSONS OF
INTEREST THAT WILL BE
INTERVIEWED AS SOON AS WE
RETURN TO SCHOOL ON MONDAY.
AND WE
BELIEVE THAT THIS WILL BE
REVIEWED FIRE DISTRICT AS WELL
TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE.
>> FOLLOWED ALL. >> PROCEDURES AND PROTOCOLS AND SAFETY SO THAT ALL OF
♪
>> OUR STUDENTS ARE SAFE AT ALL
TIMES ON OUR CAMPUS.
ONE WE HAVE 2 REPORTERS
COVERING THIS INCIDENT NEWS 4
JAX REPORTER LAUREN VERNO IS
THAT HIGHLANDS MIDDLE WE BEGIN
THOUGH WITH CORLEY PEEL WHO WAS
AT UNT HEALTH CORLEY IT IT
SOUNDS LIKE THEY HAVE AN IDEA
WHO RELEASED THIS
PEPPER SPRAY.
>> WE JUST SPOKE WITH OFFICIALS
HERE AT U OF HEALTH AND THEY
SAY THERE ARE MULTIPLE SUSPECTS
THAT THEY HAVE IDENTIFIED BASED
ON SURVEILLANCE VIDEO BUT
THEY’RE STILL WORKING TO FIND
OUT EXACTLY HOW THE PEPPER
SPRAYING INCIDENT CAME
ABOUT NOW.
>> 41 STUDENTS WERE TRANSPORTED
TO MULTIPLE HOSPITALS HERE AT U
S HELD
IN SPRINGFIELD. THEY SAY 19
STUDENTS WERE BROUGHT HERE IN
FORTUNATELY THEY SAY THAT THE
INJURIES THAT THE STUDENTS HAD
WERE VERY MINOR. SO THAT IS
GOOD WE’VE
ACTUALLY SEEN SEVERAL PARENTS
AND CHILDREN MEETING THIS
HOSPITAL WITHIN THE PAST HOUR.
THEY HAD SYMPTOMS THAT INCLUDE
WATERY
AND STINGING I’S NOT A AND
VOMITING COUGHING AND SHORTNESS
OF BREATH. AGAIN SUPERINTENDENT DIANA GREENE SAYS MULTIPLE STUDENTS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED
AS PERSONS OF INTEREST BASED ON
SURVEILLANCE VIDEO. >> THEY SAID THEY WILL BE INTERVIEWED ON MONDAY AND I
ASKED THE DISTRICT
POLICE WHY THEY’RE WAITING SO
LONG TO INTERVIEW THE STUDENTS
UNTIL MONDAY, THEY SAID THEY’RE
GOING
TO BE REVIEWING EVERYTHING AND
THEY’RE GOING TO BE CONTACTED
THEM WHEN THEY ARE
AT SCHOOL. I SPOKE WITH A
STUDENT WHO
IS ACTUALLY IN THE JAM WHEN
THIS PEPPER SPRAYING INCIDENT
HAPPENED THIS HAPPENED DURING
7TH GRADE P E CLASS. DURING
5TH PERIOD. HE SAID THAT HE HAD
ASTHMA AND HE IMMEDIATELY
CALLED HIS MOM FOR HELP
AFTER HE GOT A WHIFF OF THAT
PEPPER SPRAY LISTEN TO WHAT HE
HAD TO SAY ABOUT THE INCIDENT.
>> THAT’S NOT BE OR NOT TO
DO THEM. IT AND I THOUGHT IT
WAS TIME
TO GO. SO IN OVER AND THEN MY
MY POST I BRING IN IT DID I
MIGHT JUST SORT OF RAN INTO.
SO A COLUMN A MEDIUM THIS LIGHT
THIS SITUATION.
YOU KNOW BASICALLY S WEB A
HIDDEN IN TOTAL TO THE BEACHES.
>> BUT A FOOTBALL FIELD.
>> NOW SEVERAL PEERS THAT WE DID SPEAK WITH OUT HERE SAY THEY WERE UPSET WITH HOW
THE DISTRICT CONTACTED THEM AND
NOTIFY THEM ABOUT THEIR
STUDENTS THAT WERE PEPPERED
SPRAY THE DISTRICT SAYS THAT
THEY DID NOTIFY PARENTS AS SOON
AS THEY WERE TRANSPORTED, BUT
SOME FEEL THEY DIDN’T CONTACT
THEM QUICK ENOUGH THAT THEY
SAID THAT POLICE AND FIRE
RESPONDED IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE
INCIDENT HAPPENED AGAIN THEY
HAVE STUDENTS IN
FOR QUESTIONING AND THEY COULD
FACE SERIOUS CHARGES.
WE’LL CONTINUE TO KEEP YOU
UPDATED ABOUT THIS PEPPER SPRAY
INCIDENT AS SOON AS WE KNOW
MORE REPORTING LIVE FROM U OF
HEALTH CORLEY PEEL CHANNEL 4
THE
LOCAL STATION.
>>JOY PURDY: CORLEY WE KNOW A
LOT OF PARENTS ARE REALLY FIRED
UP ABOUT THIS AND UPSET ABOUT
WHAT HAPPENED DID THEY SAY WHAT
MAYBE SOME OF THEIR NEXT MOVES
WE’RE GOING TO BE.
♪
>> WHY DID SPEAK WITH PARENTS WHO SAY THEY WANT TO PRESS CHARGES AGAINST THE STUDENTS
RESPONSIBLE FOR PEPPER PRAYING
FOR PEPPER SPRAYING THEIR
CHILDREN BECAUSE THEY PUT THEIR
LIVES IN
DANGER SOMETHING SERIOUSLY BAD
COULD HAVE HAPPENED AFTER THIS
INCIDENT LUCKILY, NO ONE WAS
SERIOUSLY HURT, BUT AGAIN
PARENTS ARE VERY UPSET ABOUT
THIS.
♪
>>TOM WILLS: CORLEY PEEL REPORTING LIVE FROM SPRINGFIELD. THANK YOU CORLEY
NOW LAUREN VERNO HAS BEEN AT
THE SCHOOL SINCE THE FIRST NEWS
BROKE SHE’S BEEN TALKING WITH
PARENTS AND ALSO WITH TEACHERS
HE’S JOINING US NOW LIVE FROM
HIGHLANDS MIDDLE OF THE NORTH
SIDE LAUREN YOU SPOKE WITH SOME
OF
♪
OF ♪ >>TOM WILLS: THESE PARENTS WHO
ARE UPSET ABOUT HOW THIS WAS
HANDLED.
>> TOM JOY, I’VE BEEN HERE SINCE ABOUT 3.30 AND I’VE BEEN SPEAKING TO PARENTS STUDENTS
EVERYBODY
SINCE THEN THIS IS THE FIRST
TIME I’D SAY IN THE LAST 30
MINUTES THAT THINGS HAVE REALLY
CALMED DOWN TO GIVE YOU
SOME PERSPECTIVE RIGHT HERE IN
THIS DRIVEWAY ABOUT 45 MINUTES
AGO WE SAW A GIRL COME OUT OF
THE SCHOOL ON A STRETCHER AND
ACTUALLY BE BROUGHT INTO AN
AMBULANCE. THAT WAS IN THE LAST
HOURS THAT REALLY GOES TO
SHOW YOU HOW CALM THINGS ARE
NOW AT HIGHLANDS MIDDLE SCHOOL
AGAIN WE SPOKE TO PARENTS WHO
ARE VERY UPSET ABOUT WHEN THEY
WERE NOTIFIED ABOUT THEIR
CHILDREN WE SPOKE TO PARENTS
WHO SAY.
>>JOY PURDY: THEY DIDN’T KNOW
WHAT HOSPITAL THEY ARE TOLD ARE
WERE BEING TAKEN TO AND WE
TALKED TO STUDENTS
WHO SAY THEY JUST DID NOT KNOW
WHAT WAS GOING ON TAKE A
LISTEN.
♪
>> YEAH, AND THE BLEACHERS IN JUNE AND EVERYBODY STARTED COUGHING AT THE SAME TIME IT
WAS LIGHT. WE COULDN’T READ IN
OUR LUNGS
ARE HEADED. SO EVERYBODY WHEN
IT WENT UNNOTICED EVERYBODY
STARTED COFFIN. WE ALL RAN OUT
OF THE GYM.
>> SHE WAS SCARED MAMA,
SOMEBODY’S SPRAYED PEPPER SPRAY
INTO THE CROWD. AND THE GUY
TOOK OFF OUT THE DOOR. UM I
DON’T KNOW WHO HE WAS OR
WHATEVER I DON’T KNOW WAS OVER
THAT, BUT I KNOW SHE WAS A
SCARED AND CRYING. SHE SAID I
♪
CAN’T BREEZE.
>> IT WAS VERY SCARY OBVIOUSLY THAT ONE GIRL SHE DIDN’T WANT TO SHOW HER FACE BECAUSE SHE
WAS SO SCARED, WE TALK TO
PARENTS SAY YOU KNOW IN THE 4
O’CLOCK HOUR WITH THEIR 2
CHILDREN
THAT THEY WERE STILL SHAKEN UP
THE DAUGHTER WAS STILL WEARING
THE BAND FROM THE HOSPITAL SHE
WAS
JUST DISCHARGED SO THIS IS
SOMETHING THAT OBVIOUSLY THE
STUDENTS NEVER EXPECTED TO
HAPPEN YOU
CAN SHIFT YOU CAN KIND OF KNOW
THE SEVERITY OF IT BECAUSE AS
SOON AS WE SHOWED UP
ON CAMPUS. I STARTED TO SEE THE
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICERS
FOR FIRE RESCUE PERSONAL OF THE
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER OF
THE SCHOOL DISTRICT WAS OUT
HERE TRYING TO COORDINATE
SOMETHING FOR US BUT AT THAT
POINT TO BE HONEST WITH YOU AS
PARENTS THAT ARE COMING TO US
TELLING US A LOT OF THIS
INFORMATION THAT THEY GOT
DIRECTLY FROM THEIR CHILDREN SO
AGAIN THOSE ARE GOING TO BE
SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT
WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO ASK
FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT MOVING
FORWARD OF
THAT TIMELINE SPECIFICALLY A
LOT OF PEOPLE SHAKEN UP HERE
BUT FOR THE MOST PART EVERYONE
FEELING PRETTY GRATEFUL TO BE
OUT I