Student Shot Near High School

Sapulpa Police believe a pellet gun was behind the injury of a 17-year-old Sapulpa high school student on Thursday. 

The News On 6's Ashli Sims reports the student who was shot in the arm is now back home with his family. Investigators are still not sure what happened.

Sapulpa Police say they're relieved to know the 17-year-old was not shot with a firearm.  They say, though, they are still taking this incident very seriously.

Police cars fanned out around Sapulpa High School on Thursday afternoon.  The parking lot across the street was taped off, the site of the possible pellet gun shooting.

Officers say something happened to a 17-year-old student who was in his car with his arm hanging out the window.

"He felt a pain in his arm, he thought he heard something but he just kinda felt numb," said Sapulpa Police Major Mike Haefner.

Police say the victim went back to the high school, where an off-duty officer told him it looked like he'd been shot.

School officials locked down the high school and several others in the area.

"He just said lockdown, this is real. So we went in and turned the lights off," said 16-year-old Karli Butler. "It was the thing you see on TV, but you never think it's gonna happen to you."

Sapulpa activated its automatic phone system, which sent messages to parents.

"My husband says he got it right away. And I called him back a little while later and he said he'd received another call from the school. So yes, I was very impressed with that," said Tammi Butler.

The victim was taken to the hospital and released a short time later.

Police are still trying to find the source of the shooting.  A friend of the victim, who didn't want to be identified, says he doesn't believe the shooting was an accident.

"It was intentional, someone intentionally shot him. I'm pretty positive," said the unidentified student.

"It could have been a ricochet. Some pellet guns are more powerful than others. At this point we're not able to determine that until we find out who our shooter is and what his intent was," said Major Haefner.

Police canvassed the neighborhood looking for the shooter or anyone who heard anything, but they still have not found the shooter or the pellet gun.