Bronx teacher shot in classroom before 1st day of school, police say

A Bronx middle school teacher was shot when a bullet flew through his classroom window on Wednesday morning while he was preparing for the beginning of the upcoming school year, according to NYPD officials.

Police responded to a 911 call at M.S. 391, the Angelo Patri Middle School in the Fordham neighborhood, just before noon. They said they found the 33 year-old teacher inside his sixth-floor classroom, and added that the bullet had grazed his right palm. No children were present at the time, according to officials.

“This bullet was not fired from inside the school,” NYPD Deputy Chief of Patrol Borough Bronx Keiyon Ramsey said at a news conference on Wednesday. “We believe it was fired from a long distance away.”

Officials said they believe the bullet came from an “elevated surface.” Detectives are searching nearby rooftops for ballistic and video evidence.

The teacher, whose name was has not been released, was treated at St. Barnabas Hospital and discharged.

The NYPD is deploying additional school safety agents to the school for the first day of classes on Thursday. Officials are seeking the public’s help in finding the shooter.