ATLANTA – Police say a child was shot near an elementary school outside of Atlanta on Thursday.
Authorities say they responded to a call of a child shot at around 11:20 a.m. The child was with two other individuals -- a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old -- on a basketball court about 50 yards away from Montclair Elementary School property when the incident took place.
The child was treated at the scene and transported to Scottish Rite hospital in serious condition, according to police. The child told police he had been shot by a man.
William Miller, Director of the DeKalb County Public Safety Office, says the weapon used in the incident was recovered in the woods near where the shooting took place.
Miller says they have determined the three people were skipping school with the intention of committing burglaries in the area. He says the child may have accidentally shot himself.
He says the school was placed on lockdown as a precaution, and that students were never in any danger.
The incident remains under investigation.
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