STANFORD, Ky. (LEX 18) — A Stanford Elementary staff member has been injured after accidentally discharging a firearm and injuring himself while on school property, according to police.
Police say the incident happened at around 11:00 p.m. Tuesday while the staff member, identified by police as 32-year-old Travis Simmons, was working second-shift maintenance at the school. Police say Simmons accidentally fired a 40-caliber Glock after school hours, shooting himself in the foot. His injury is significant, but he will survive.
Simmons then exited the building and left the premises, police say. Law enforcement officers were called to the school Wednesday after staff discovered what appeared to be blood leading from a staff break room out to the parking lot.
"As school started with its normal routine, some things just seemed off this morning," said Lincoln County Schools communication coordinator Brad Smith. "What seemed to be the remains of some sort of accident was noticed at a time that was very inconvenient for the start of the day. Luckily our police department quickly arrived on scene."
"The world is a scary place and it's weird to think it'd happen here in your hometown," said Autumn Morgan. "Luckily that wasn't the situation, but everything goes through your head."
Police say Simmons left without telling school officials about the incident.
Officers cleared the school building Wednesday morning before children began normal activities for the day as a precaution. The school was deemed safe and there was no threat to the safety of the students or staff in regard to this incident, according to Stanford Police.
"We have school resource officers in all our buildings and in a situation like this, we're gonna lean on them and the school building was deemed safe immediately to meet for staff and students," said Smith.
Police believe no one else was on school property at the time of the incident.
The school confirmed that the staff member passed a mandatory state and federal background check. Simmons resigned from his position on Wednesday.
The Stanford Police Department says Simmons was served a warrant on Thursday. Simmons was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon on school property.
