BOROUGH PRESIDENT GIBSON’S RESPONSE TO THE MS 391 SHOOTING INCIDENT – The Office of the Borough President of the Bronx

“On the eve of the new school year, we experienced an extremely disturbing incident that should never happen in our community. One of our teachers was struck by a ricochet bullet while preparing his classroom for instruction. An incident that is both unacceptable and deeply disturbing. We are immensely relieved and grateful that he is recovering, but this situation shines a light on a larger public safety issue that requires our urgent attention.

Our schools should be places of learning and growth, not places of fear. The safety of our students and teachers must be our top priority, and incidents like this underscore the need for more effective measures to protect our residents from gun violence. As a precautionary measure, we are hiring additional school support staff, including counselors at MS 391 and additional school safety officers.

We want to reassure our teachers and parents that our children will return to school safely tomorrow. To ensure their continued safety, we will continue to work with local law enforcement and community leaders to ensure the safety of our students, teachers and school staff inside and outside the classroom. Our thoughts are with the affected teacher and his family, and we stand united in our determination to create a safe and supportive learning environment for all.”