A Fox News reporter immediately hugged her son after being reunited with him during a live broadcast of a shooting at his school in Denver, Colorado.
Alicia Acuna, the mother of a teenager, shared a heart-warming moment with her son outside East High School in Denver on Wednesday, where a student shot two faculty members.
Acuna told her colleagues in the studio to excuse her as she suddenly saw her son walking towards her. “I am sorry, I have not seen my kid since this all went down,” she said.
The reporter appeared to get emotional soon after and said there was no way anyone would let their kid walk by in such a situation.
She was asked by her colleague to step aside if she wanted to meet her son but she continued with her coverage, saying: “He’s ok. He’s good.”
She said her son “was the one who was telling me what was happening” inside the school along with the information from her sister whose daughter also goes to the same school.
She said she was working on a different story at her desk when her son texted her about the shooting and told her there were “police officers everywhere” at school.
He told her that “the assembly was shut down, and there were cops guarding their door”.
Her sister’s daughter hid in a closet and also texted her mother.
The shooting was reported at the school around 9.50am on Wednesday after a student produced a handgun during a regular morning search before he entered the school.
The search was part of a safety plan that was taken due to his prior behavioural issues.
The student was identified as Austin Lyle, 17 and described as a Black male. He fled the scene later.
Lyle is reported to have died by suicide after police found a body near a car around 9pm on Wednesday while trying to search for the suspect, reported 7News Denver.
The car was found in Park County on County Road 68 around 4.30pm, Park County sheriff Tom McGraw said during a press conference, according to 7News.
One of the victims of the shooting was released from the hospital, while the other person is still in a serious condition.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.
If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
