Shooting, standoff near Booker T. High School

A SWAT situation is developing near Booker T. High School on Wednesday evening. The scene spans from Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard near Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway to the high school and includes Morris Brown College and surrounding neighborhoods.

ATLANTA – A SWAT situation disrupted a scheduled homecoming event, placing Booker T. High School, Morris Brown College and surrounding neighborhoods on lockdown on Wednesday evening. 

The scene spaned from Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard near Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway to the high school.

Atlanta police search for a gunman in the area near Booker T. Washington High School and surrounding neighborhoods in Atlanta on the evening of Oct. 22, 2025. (FOX 5)

Shooting along Joseph E. Lowery Blvd

What we know:

A SWAT team was called out at around 8 p.m. to Newcastle Street NW near Beckwith Street SW.

People in the immediate area were told to leave the area.

Officers secure the parking lot of a Texaco gas station during an active police investigation along Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard in Atlanta on Oct. 22, 2025. (FOX 5)

Police at the scene say this started at the Texaco gas station at Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard near Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway around 6:15 p.m.

Police taped off a Texaco gas station as the search began, then expanded their perimeter to nearby Morris Brown College, surrounding homes, and the high school.

K-9 officers and the aerial unit were also brought in as part of the response.

Officers secure the parking lot of a Texaco gas station during an active police investigation along Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard in Atlanta on Oct. 22, 2025. (FOX 5)

What we don’t know:

Police have not confirmed whether officers were directly fired upon or returned fire.

Atlanta police have not yet confirmed whether anyone was struck.

Authorities have not said whether a suspect has been identified or located. 

It remains unclear whether anyone was taken into custody. 

Atlanta police respond to reports of gunfire and search for a possible suspect near Booker T. Washington High School in northwest Atlanta on the evening of Oct. 22, 2025. (FOX 5)

Booker T. Washington High School locked down

What they’re saying:

Parents rushed to Booker T. Washington High School on Wednesday night after hearing the campus was placed on lockdown during a scheduled coronation event.

One mother said she was on the phone with her son, a student at the school, when he told her the school was on lockdown. She said she immediately left her car and began walking toward the building, concerned but trying to reach him directly.

“I thought maybe somebody got killed because they got the streets blocked,” she said, adding that her son was reportedly at band practice when it happened.

Parents rush to Booker T. Washington High School after reports of a lockdown during a student coronation event, gathering outside the campus in southwest Atlanta on the night of Oct. 22, 2025. (FOX 5)

Another parent said her daughter had been inside for a program ceremony.

“Of course I am,” she said when asked if she was worried. “As a mother, you worry about your children. You know school is a lot going on nowadays.”

Both parents said their children were eventually confirmed safe, though neither school officials nor police had immediately explained what prompted the lockdown.

The Source: The Atlanta Police Department provided the details for this article. 

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