JEFFERSON PARISH, La. — The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office arrested a 17-year-old in connection with the shooting of a West Jefferson High School student.
JPSO identified the suspect as Denis Castro-Andrade of Gretna. Castro-Andrade was arrested at his home by JPSO, the Major Crimes Task Force, and Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement Removal Operations. He will be booked at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center and is expected to face charges including attempted second-degree murder, possession of a weapon on school grounds, and possession of a weapon under 18.
The shooting happened around the time students were supposed to be dismissed after a half-day of classes. The victim was an 18-year-old student, and he had a non-fatal gunshot injury.
JPSO did not say if Castro-Andrade was a student or not.
"My son called and told me that there was a fight outside, and a guy got shot. They say he went down, and then they took all the kids inside the school, put them in the gym, and locked down the school," A West Jefferson High School parent said.
Parents rushed to West Jefferson High School in Harvey after getting calls from their teens that there had been a shooting.
JPSO deputies say the shooting happened in a parking lot across the street from the school at a business that appeared to be closed on 8th and Marion streets.
A parent shared a video of the scene after the shooting. It showed people gathering around the teen who was shot still lying on the concrete of the parking lot.
"We are diligently working to find the shooter in this case, and the school's been cooperative," JPSO spokesperson Captain Jason Rivarde said. "The most important thing is the safety of the students. No other students were harmed, and they were able to get everybody off-campus in an orderly manner."
The carpool line was long, with parents anxious to get their teens, who alerted them by phone.
"Parents came early because their kids called them about the shooting, but then the school was locked down, so they didn't allow any parents to get those kids, and they were putting kids on busses but still not allowing parents to get their kids," Another parent said.
One parent said she never got a call from the parish or the school.
Neighbors say this violence among the more than 1,400 students is unusual.
"Every year, for the last day of school, we do put additional security around the campuses because, you know, to try to avoid something like this happening," Rivarde said.
Jefferson Parish schools sent the following statement after the incident:
During the time of the shooting, the school was placed on lockdown immediately and following all district safety protocols. After the school received clearance to start dismissal, students were released for dismissal. We urge anyone with information related to this incident to contact JPSO.
Anyone with information is asked to call our Juvenile Section at 504-354-5300 or contact Crimestoppers.
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