The loud bang heard at Discovery HS was fireworks, not gunfire, principal says

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - UPDATE: A loud bang that sounded like gunfire near Discovery High School’s stadium on August 18 was actually fireworks, the school’s principal said in a letter sent to parents on Sunday.

“I also want to address a video from Friday night during which a popping sound can be heard. Despite talk that the sound came from gunshots, police say it was fireworks. To be clear, investigators say no gunshots were fired Friday night, the sound in the video came from fireworks,” said Principal Marci Sledge.

ORIGINAL STORY: Gwinnett County authorities are investigating a fight that broke out at Discovery High School’s stadium in Lawrenceville Friday night.

In the video shot by Atlanta News First, students can be seen running from the stadium. The incident happened during a football game between Discovery and Central Gwinnett high schools.

“It was a very scary and dangerous situation, and out of concern for the safety of everyone, we have cleared the stadium and are asking that you pick up your students immediately,” Principal Marci Sledge said in an email sent to parents.

Gwinnett County police said they received a call about the incident.

“There were multiple other agency officers already on the scene that were not aware of any complaints,” the department said.

Officers helped disperse the crowd, police said. After that, there were no more reports.

This is an ongoing investigation and it is unclear what caused the incident.

Discovery High School released the following statement:

Clear and transparent communication is a core value at Discovery High School. It is a commitment to keep you informed with the latest and most accurate information concerning school matters. With that in mind, I wanted to update you about an unfortunate incident that happened at our school Friday.

Last night during the highly anticipated football game between our Titans and Central Gwinnett High, we made the difficult but correct decision to empty the stadium at halftime after a massive group of students caused panic by rushing toward the exit. This created a stampede of people trying to get through the gates and over the stadium fences. Fortunately, no one was injured during the rush, but several fights broke out after the crowds left the stadium.

To be clear, despite rumors on social media and what has been reported by some media outlets, there was NO GUNFIRE. School Police are investigating, interviewing spectators, and reviewing video of the incident to determine what happened. Whether the rush towards the exit was in anticipation of a fight or if it was an instance of a trend where students intentionally cause panic by rushing in a single direction in large groups, I want to reassure you if and when police identify who is responsible, they will face appropriate consequences. Students and spectators who engaged in fights will also face appropriate criminal and/or school disciplinary consequences.

In anticipation of this game that drew a record-setting crowd, including a large number of students and adults who do not attend and are not associated with Discovery or Central Gwinnett High, we assigned 15 administrators to work the game as well as a large contingent of School Resource Officers. I want to thank them for the way they handled a chaotic situation. With that said, in accordance with our commitment to continuous quality improvement, we are already looking at ways to prevent something like this from happening again and dealing with it if it does.

As always, I appreciate your continuous support of our students and school.

Proud Principal,

Marci Sledge