PLYMOUTH, Minnesota — After some coordination between law enforcement and school officials, students from Plymouth Middle School walked down the street to the parking lot of Armstrong High School to be reunited with their parents following a shooting at the middle school Monday.
Parents started filling the parking lot hours before they were able to see their kids.
Traci Mahoney said she found out about the shooting from her 8th grade daughter, Katoria Turner.
“We got a text from her saying that there was a shooter in the school and they were on lockdown,” Mahoney said.
Turner was later reunited with her mom, and told her she saw the shooting happen.
"He just did it in the air though so no one got hurt,” Turner said. “My brain just went blank."
Kara Kurth said her 6th grade son called to tell her about the shooting by using a friend’s phone while in lockdown.
“He was locked in a room and they were all on the floor and they were all passing around phones so they could all call their moms or dads,” Kurth said.
KARE 11 spoke with Braylin Billups and Danyelle Terrly, who are both 8th grade students and ran out of the building as soon as they heard shots fired.
“We didn’t care what was going on, we just heard the gunshots and ran,” Billups said. "I was thinking a lot of bad things too, like what if I get shot because of running.”
"At first I was crying because my brother is still in the school so I don't know what is going on,” Terrly said.
The reunions brought warm hugs, happy tears and plans for the afternoon.
"Give him a big hug and ask him wherever he wants to go to lunch and that's where we're going,” Kurth said.
Tammy Schauer said her 6th grade son, Marty, forgot his phone at home.
“So I didn’t talk to him but I know he’s safe and I just want to hug him,” Schauer. “I never thought we would be put in this situation so it’s scary.”
Schauer said would send her son back and says everyone needs to stick together during this time.
"We have to have each other's backs. Stick together and keep our kids together and we'll all get through it,” Schauer said.
On Monday afternoon Plymouth Middle School announced that would shift to distance learning for two days and return to in-person learning on Thursday, April 29.