Man fatally shot near Alabama elementary school after allegedly trying to enter

A 32-year-old man was fatally shot by police near an elementary school in Alabama on Thursday morning, with school district officials claiming he tried to enter the building. 

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) said in a statement that the man, identified as Bunnlevel, N.C., resident Robert Tyler White, was shot near Walnut Park Elementary School. 

A “suspected intruder” had tried to enter the school, leading its principal to notify a school resource officer, Gadsden City Schools Superintendent Tony Reddick told The Hill. Reddick said officials had verified the individual was not a parent of any of the students in the building, of which there were 34 attending a summer literacy camp that day.

Reddick said that the children were in a different part of the building at the time of the incident and none were hurt. Ten to 12 staff members were also in the building at the time.

The ALEA said in their statement that the man “was attempting to make forcible entry into a marked Rainbow City patrol vehicle at which point a School Resource Officer (SRO) with the Rainbow City Police Department attempted to stop the subject” and where he “resisted and attempted to take the officer’s firearm.”

“White was injured by gunfire and was pronounced deceased,” the ALEA added.

Reddick told The Hill he believes the incident was a random occurrence.