Man trying to enter school shot after reaching for officer’s gun, Alabama officials say

Officers shot and killed a man accused of trying to get into a police car and reaching for a school resource officer’s gun near an elementary school, according to Alabama law enforcement officials.

The superintendent of the school also told local news outlets the man was trying to gain access to the school through several doors.

The man, 32-year-old Robert Tyler White, of Bunnlevel, North Carolina, was shot outside Walnut Park Elementary School in Gadsden, Alabama, on June 9, according to a news release from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Gadsden is about 70 miles northeast of Birmingham.

No children were involved or harmed during the incident, the agency said.

Children at the school were bused to Gadsden City High School about 2 miles away, according to the Gadsden/Etowah County Emergency Management Agency.

White was trying to get into a Rainbow City Police Department patrol vehicle when a school resource officer tried to stop him, officials said. White resisted and tried to take the officer’s gun.

Officers from the Gadsden Police Department responded to assist, and shots were fired. White was injured by gunfire and later died , according to the agency.

Gadsden City School Superintendent Tony Reddick said that a man was seen trying to get into the elementary school building, the Washington Post reported.

Reddick did not respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News.

Officials also told the Gadsden Times the man tried to enter the school through multiple doors, but never gained access. It’s unclear why he was trying to enter.

Schools have been on high alert since a shooter killed 21 people at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, in May. The shooter, officials said, entered the school through a door that did not lock properly, according to the Associated Press.

Reddick told Al.com the school went into lockdown during the incident and 34 children were inside at the time for a summer camp.

“We’re just so thankful that none of this involved the children,” he told the outlet. “Everyone followed the safety protocols that we’ve drilled on.”

This story was originally published June 9, 2022 at 3:08 PM with the headline "Man trying to enter school shot after reaching for officer’s gun, Alabama officials say."