A 13-year-old boy is being accused of shooting his father at a Louisiana school. The boy, who attends Tangipahoa Alternative School, was allegedly displeased with the idea of having to go to school that day. While sitting in the morning car line, the boy got into an argument with his father, who then decided to let the boy have what he wanted and go home. That apparently wasn’t enough, however, because those around the school suddenly heard a gunshot.
A school resource officer who had saw the argument quickly jumped into action, sending the school into lockdown as the boy approached while holding a gun. Thankfully, they were able to stop him before anything more horrific happened.
The day had barely started.
The shooting happened around 7:40 a.m. on April 14, 2026, the Hammond Police Department told WDSU.
According to police, the 13-year-old boy and his dad got into an argument while in the car line. Officers said the boy didn’t want to go into the school. A school resource officer saw the argument and went over to the car. That’s when the dad decided to take his son home.
As the car began to pull out, the resource officer heard gunshots. He then saw the teen boy walking toward him with a gun in his hand.
The car sped forward across the street, crashing into the living room of a home, KPLC reported. Thankfully, no one was hurt.
“It sounded like it was the end of the world,” Anita, the woman whose home was crashed into, told KPLC. She woke up to find the SUV in her living room, she shared. She said a man was bleeding, and there was a young child in the vehicle crying for help.
The school resource officer is being hailed as a hero.
As the teen approached Tangipahoa Alternative School with the gun, the school resource officer, who has not been named, put himself between the boy and the school. The officer then disarmed the boy and took him into custody.
“We don’t know what his [the student’s] intentions were… but our trained officer put himself in danger, disarmed the shooter, and was able to take him into custody,” Hammond Police Chief Edwin Bergeron Jr. said in a news conference, WWLT reported.
“This type of violence is senseless and outrageous and sadly underscores why school resources officers are so important,” he shared via a statement obtained by WDSU. “We are incredibly grateful that we had a SRO at the school to intervene and prevent further injuries.”
According to Bergeron, the father was taken to the hospital in critical condition but was in stable condition as of later in the day. The young boy in the car was uninjured and has been released to another relative.
The boy, whose identity and criminal record has not been released because of his age, was taken to the Florida Parish Juvenile Detention Center.
The school quickly went into lockdown.
“When the code went out, in a matter of minutes, probably less than a minute, every student was in a classroom. The doors were locked to the classroom and to the building,” Ronald Genco, assistant superintendent of Tangipahoa Parish Schools, shared via a statement obtained by KPLC.
He said that if “a student has a mistake, whether it is fighting or several referrals, he or she goes” to Tangipahoa Alternative School, which has 260 students.
“I got a nephew that goes here. I called the school and they reassured me that he is safe,” a person told WPLC about the incident.
“That’s a blessing in its own that they had the officer here on campus at the time. We thank God for that,” someone else shared.
