Atlanta middle school shooting victim released from hospital

The Atlanta boy who was shot in the back of the head by a fellow middle schooler Thursday afternoon was “conscious and talking” later in the day, authorities said.

The victim, a Price Middle School student whose name had not been released, got out of the hospital Thursday night, the Associated Press reported.

Earlier, Atlanta Public Schools Supt. Erroll Davis said at a televised press conference that the boy’s family had expected his release.

After the shooter opened fire in a campus courtyard, the school’s armed officer jumped in, Atlanta Police Chief George Turner said.

“That particular officer was able to subdue the individual and have him … drop his weapon,” Turner said. “And he was able to take him into custody at the time of the incident.”

The shooter has not been identified.

The school was on lockdown much of the afternoon while authorities searched for evidence.

Davis said the campus has metal detectors.

“So the obvious question, of course, is how did this get past a metal detector?” Davis said. “We do not know.”

An adult on campus, described only as a paraprofessional, suffered minor injuries in the aftermath of the shooting, Davis said.

“When the children, of course, given all that has gone on in so many schools in this country, when they hear gunfire, they tend to panic, they tend to run,” Davis said. “If you fall down, you tend to get trampled, and I believe that’s what happened.”

[Update, 7:07 p.m. Jan. 31: An earlier version of this post said the victim’s release from the hospital was expected. Now, he has been released.]

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marisa.gerber@latimes.com

Twitter: @marisagerber