NewsPalm Beach CountyRegion C Palm Beach CountyWest Palm Beach

Actions

Parents, students reunite after fatal shooting at Dreyfoos School of the Arts

All staff, students deemed safe, police say
Posted at 2:41 PM, May 13, 2022
and last updated 2022-05-13 18:23:37-04

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Parents reunited with their kids from Dreyfoos School of the Arts after a police-involved shooting killed a driver of a van who crashed into a gate on campus.

The shooting happened just before noon Friday while students were on campus.

Police said all students and staff are safe.

"There were no students in the auditorium where this encounter happened," West Palm Beach police spokesman Mike Jachles said during a news conference.

RELATED: Suspect who crashed van on Dreyfoos School campus shot, killed by police

Bob Sullivan said he received a call from his daughter, who is a junior at Dreyfoos School of the Arts, advising him the school was on code red and that she loved him.

“She was hiding in the theater building in the locker room behind a closed door in the shower,” Sullivan said. "I just dropped everything and came up here.”

Dreyfoos School of the Arts students at Kravis Center 05132022.jpeg
Dreyfoos School of the Arts students seeking shelter at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts on May 13, 2022.

Kristy Ferrer said she received a phone call from her daughter in distress.

“My daughter called, she was frantic, crying, saying she was scared," said Ferrer. "The teachers had opened up back doors from the gymnasium and told them to run to the Kravis Center.”

According to Ferrer, today is Senior Black Out Day. All students wore black and senior crowns to celebrate being a rising senior.

“It’s sad that it had to be tainted by something like this, “ she said.

Sullivan and his 17-year-old daughter, Karry, lived in Parkland at the time of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. They were left with the emotional effects of the Parkland shooting for a month.

However, Sullivan is grateful the situation at his daughter's school has been contained.

WATCH: Chopper 5 flies above Dreyfoos School after shooting

Chopper 5 flies above large police presence at Dreyfoos School of the Arts

“I'm thankful for the Palm Beach County Police Department and the Dreyfoos administration for taking care of this the way it’s been taken care of,” he said.

Though her daughter is safe, Ferrer is concerned about the long lasting effects this incident will have on her.

“It’s terrifying you don’t want to think that your child would have to experience something like this," she said. "It’s traumatic. I worry more about the trauma it’s going to leave my child.“

The campus was under a code yellow lockdown for several hours while students were dismissed via staggered release.

Bus riders and those who use Tri-Rail were released first, students who depend on parent transportation were released afterward, and students who drive were released last, according to the school district.

Multiple agencies are on scene and the shooting remains under investigation.