Atlanta Stations Cover Decatur School Shooting

By Merrill Knox 

Atlanta stations broke into regular programming this afternoon after at least one gunshot was fired at Ronald E. McNair Discovery Learning Academy, a charter elementary school in DeKalb County.

ABC affiliate WSB was the first station to report the news at 1:13pmET. Fox O&O WAGA broke in to afternoon programming at 1:19pmET, with CBS affiliate WGCL following at 1:20pmET. NBC affiliate WXIA reported the news at 1:26pmET.

All four stations were careful in describing the situation, as there was initial confusion about whether shots had been fired. WSB’s Carol Sbarge said there had been “some sort of police incident” at the school, while WAGA’s Lisa Rayam reported a “heavy police presence” after reports of a “man sitting in the front office with a gun.” On WGCL, Jeff Chirico also referred to the unfolding news as an “incident,” and WXIA’s Jaye Watson reported a 911 call “of shots fired at this elementary school.”

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WSB’s Ryan Young filed a report from his iPhone after arriving on the scene. Watch it after the jump.

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