Man on the run after shooting near Del City elementary school
DEL CITY, Okla. (KFOR) – Del City Police are searching for a man considered armed and dangerous after he reportedly shot a man in the head Tuesday morning.
Officers were called to a home off Suntane Road near Southeast 44th and Sunnylane just before 8 a.m. Tuesday.
The street is a block away from Townsend Elementary school where children were arriving for classes.
Marissa Geissler said she was about to walk out of the front door with her child to go to school when everything was unfolding.
"Then all of the sudden I get a text from the school saying that the school was going to be on lockdown,” said Geissler. “That there was an active shooter in the neighborhood."
She later realized the shooting happened a few doors down.
"I immediately just freaked. Just absolutely freaked out," said Geissler.
Police said a fight broke out between a man and the suspect, Gary Smart.
"At some point (Smart) produced the firearm and shot at him one time," said Maj. Brad Cowden, Del City Police Department.
The bullet grazed the man in the head. Police said Smart, who is a convicted felon, was last seen running away from the home with a gun in his hand.
"We have somebody who is armed, who is on foot. Obviously, our primary goal was to get that person into custody as quickly as possible,” said Cowden. “The buses were running. Kids were walking to school at the time. So, there was a heavy presence in the neighborhoods as well as at the school itself."
An officer stayed at the school throughout the day as an extra layer of protection. But even with the added patrols, some parents and neighbors were still on edge.
"He's still on the run is definitely a little scary," said Geissler.
Cowden said the victim was expected to make a full recovery. He said his main concern is tracking down Smart, because he was armed and considered dangerous.
“Call 911 and don’t approach him so that we can take him into custody,” said Cowden.