MIDDLE SMITHFIELD TOWNSHIP -- Dozens of concerned parents gathered at Resica Elementary Friday afternoon to ask questions and get answers after a bullet hit the window of a second grade classroom at Resica Elementary.
Investigators said four men between the ages of 18 and 22 were target shooting bottles tied in trees about three tenths of a mile away from the school when a bullet from a pistol hit a double paned classroom window Thursday afternoon, going through the first pane, but not the second.
"The school was not a target, or the children or anybody in the school at any time. The school did a fantastic job conducting themselves and securing the children, they did a great job," said state police Cpl. Norman Cramer.
School officials and police organized the Friday afternoon meeting so parents could speak out and they did. Most praised the way school leaders reacted, quickly moving students to a safe area. Others said what happened may have been an accident, but it raised questions. Are school officials here prepared if there was someone shooting into the building?
"How do you possibly provide the community with more confidence that it can be prevented in some way? We all as a nation have been grappling with this. Every school district in the country is grappling with this," said Jason Phillips a parent of Marshalls Creek.
Officials at the school told parents right now, there are hunting regulations, but no laws preventing people from target shooting on private property, even if they are near schools. It is something they said the community will have to lobby lawmakers to change. In the meantime, they said they are just grateful no one was hurt and everyone did their very best.
"The children were fabulous, they were wonderful, they continued on with their day and to their credit they followed every single direction that was given to them," said school principal Gail Kulick.
State police investigators said they have seized the weapons used for target practice for testing. They will decide later if the men who were shooting will be charged with reckless endangerment.