A teenage boy who was struck during a shooting at a Philadelphia high school was released from the hospital on Sunday.
The 17-year-old boy along with an 18-year-old girl were both injured Friday during a shooting at the Delaware Valley Charter High School on the 5200 block of Old York Road.
Raisheem Rochwell, 17, is charged as an adult for his alleged involvement in the incident.
He faces two counts of aggravated assault and other offenses, according to officials. Rochwell is being held on $500,000 bail.
The shooting occurred shortly before 3:30 p.m. on Friday inside the school's gymnasium.
Police say a gun went off though they have not yet confirmed whether it was accidental or if Rochwell intentionally fired it. The female student was shot in the rear of her left arm. The bullet went through her bicep and then struck the male student in the shoulder, according to investigators.
Philadelphia Police quickly responded to the scene and immediately secured the school to determine whether it was an active shooter situation. Police say the suspects involved in the shooting fled from the building after the two victims were struck. The school was still placed on lockdown however until police and the SWAT team determined the scene was safe. They then evacuated all students from the building. The SWAT team and Canine officers conducted another sweep of the school after all the students were released.
U.S. & World
Stories that affect your life across the U.S. and around the world.
Both victims were taken to Albert Einstein Medical Center. The girl was released on Friday while the boy was released on Sunday.
Police say school security and officials provided descriptions and identities of possible suspects in the shooting. Based on the information, police say they took a 15-year-old boy into custody immediately after the incident. Police later concluded however that security officers provided inaccurate information and determined that the boy was not involved in the incident, according to investigators. The boy was released from custody and will not be charged.
Investigators say the shooting was captured on the school’s surveillance system. After examining the video and conducting several interviews, police were able to identify two suspects, including Rochwell. Police executed search warrants at the homes of both suspects.
Police say the first suspect, a 16-year-old boy, turned himself in to the Northwest Detective Division on Friday. He was later released on Saturday after questioning. He has not been charged.
Rochwell turned himself in Saturday afternoon. He is charged with two counts of Aggravated Assault and other related offenses. He is set to appear before a judge next month where a request will be made to reduce his bail.
Rochwell's attorney, Amato Sanita, says his client does not have a criminal record. He also disputed the charges against the teen.
"We can come forward with the judge, explain the extreme circumstances of this case, which the arraignment court judge actually had some note of, that clearly the matter wasn't malicious," Sanita said. "The only dispute here is gonna be who did it and how did it happen. It's our position that it certainly had no connection to the young man that they now have in custody."
Sanita also added that Rochwell "is not the person who will ultimately be responsible for this act."
Sanita also suggested that the shooting was an accident.
"Anything you're hearing out there, this is nothing that involves anything intentional," he said. "We can make those comments right now, and that's it."
Delaware Valley Charter School is one of 87 charter schools in Philadelphia. NBC10 reached out to Thomas Monson, the president of the school's Board of Trustees, for comment.
"We along with Philadelphia Police are investigating these events and will provide you with details as they become available," Monson said.
Officials with the school say they will have mental health personnel on hand when students return on Tuesday.
The school released the following statement on Saturday:
We will continue to be committed to making sure that the safety of our children and staff is taken seriously inside and outside of school. We are working with the Philadelphia Police Department and Delaware Valley Charter High School’s public safety team to ensure that all safety measures are addressed.
