Gunfire erupted, hitting a school in Hartford on Monday afternoon.
Shots were fired behind the America’s Choice at SAND School as children were in the area at the time, according to Hartford Police. No one was injured.
Officers responded to an area by the Sands Apartment Complex at about 1:48 p.m. to investigate shotspotter reports of possible gunshots, Deputy Chief Brian Foley said in a news release. The shotspotter is the department's system for detecting gunshots fired in Hartford.
The shooting was over a dispute involving a stolen motor bike wthout a connection to the school, according to Foley. Police determined that the incident stemmed from a confrontation near the fence line between the 1750 Main St. school and the apartments at 1630 Main St., he said.
Witnesses to the altercation fled unharmed as two suspects brandished weapons and fired multiple rounds at them, he said. Bullets hit the school building in at least three locations. A physical education class was outside in the courtyard next to the wall when the shots were fired, but none of the students were injured, Foley said.
The principal immediately placed the school in lockdown and police responded.
Investigators searched the area and decided a full lockdown was not needed. The school then altered the lockdown to a lock-in.
At 2:55 p.m., police told school officials they could lift the elevated safe mode and dismiss students at a normal dismissal time, according to school officials.
Officers recovered shell casings near the school, police said.
The department's Shooting Task Force continues to investigate the case, but no arrests have been made at this time.
