"We Thought It Was a Drill:" Shooting at Central
Sofiat Bamidele
On September 18, 2021, Central High School was expecting to have a football game against West Philadelphia High School and, hopefully, win. However, as soon as their game began, it was cancelled due to unexpected nearby gunfire. Two days later, on September 20th, Central High School and Philadelphia High School for Girls went into an unexpected lockdown due to another shooting that happened at 2:30 pm nearby, on Broad Street and Chew Avenue. According to the Philadelphia Police Department, five men and one woman between the ages of 18-28 were shot. They are all alive today except for one man who was shot multiple times in the chest and was pronounced dead in the hospital. Police have yet to arrest the perpetrators.
“The lockdown happened in last period,” Savanna Sandaus, a freshman at
Central, explained. “Everyone was tired and then we suddenly got the announcement that we were having a lockdown.” Sandaus described how the shooting made her family worried for her and other students. She, like many of her peers, have noticed that Central has had frequent lockdowns due to gunfire in the past, and this was not any different.
“Everyone got on their phones, and we were texting each other to make sure we were all okay,” Sandaus stated, though her voice was gradually filling with concern.
However, for Central students such as freshman Neematallah Yusuff, the lockdown was unexpected. She did not understand it at first and was later informed by her peers.
“We weren’t being serious about it,” said Yussuf, laughing reminiscently. “We thought it was a drill.”
Her friend’s sister was the one to inform her, while other people were finding out about the situation online. Not even the teachers knew what had happened during this time.
“The main priority was checking if everyone was okay,” Sandaus expressed.
Sandaus and Yusuff’s families, like many other families, were fearful of their children’s well being. Many students were scared in a situation like this. With the rise of deadly shootings happening in Philadelphia, we can only hope for successful lockdowns like the one at Central.
“I think we had it under control,” Sandaus concludes. “We made sure we were all safe.”
Maybe there will be a day where students do not have to fear for their lives due to gunfire. Maybe one day, shootings will cease, and maybe one day people will be able to walk freely in broad daylight.