Shooting: 2 Mumford High School Students Being Questioned

DETROIT - Police patrols around Mumford High School were apparent. That's after the shooting near the school Tuesday, which was the first day of classes.

A 14-year-old girl was grazed by a bullet on her forehead. A 16-year-old boy was shot in the buttocks. The wounds are not life threatening.

Interim Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee wrote on his Facebook page that he expected the case would be wrapped up quickly. Two male students at Mumford are being questioned in connection with the shooting. The school was quiet Wednesday.

’Situation is calm at Mumford. We were there early this morning. Entry into the building took place without incident. There was a clear presence of marked (police) vehicles,’ said DPS Communications Officer Steve Wasko.

Detroit Public Schools have contracted with a private company to provide security in and outside the schools.

Some board members have complained about the now privatized contract the district’s emergency financial manager awarded.

’Somehow the privatizing of the internal security guards contributed to this or may have had an impact on this or had we not done that, we would have been able to avoid this unfortunate incident. That’s totally illogical to me. First of all, they provide protection both inside the school and on campus,’ Wasko said.

The private company is expected to address absentee problem the district experienced when school guards were direct employees of the district.

’One of the nice things about the contract bill is that it extensively gives us zero-percent absenteeism, and that if one of their individual guards calls in ill to them on a given day, they have to replace that guard with a substitute that same day. Certainly our principals and our parents should feel very secure based on that,’ said Wasko.