Bullet holes at elementary school raise concern

Two white holes outside the Multi-Purpose Room at Andrew Jackson Elementary School are patched bullet holes, according to Indio police.

When our crews arrived at the school, a Desert Sands Unified School District employee was patching the holes.

A man was shot in the face across the street Wednesday night. Indio police say they are “99.9 percent sure” the bullet holes are not related to the Wednesday night shooting, and must have been there from a prior shooting.

Regardless of how they got there, parents like Maria are concerned with the proximity to the violence.

“I had a concern because, what if a child gets hurt? It could be any child, not just mine. It’s a concern because the school is right there, you know?” she says. The mother of a special education student only wanted to be known as “Maria” for her own safety.

On the sidewalk where kids walk to school, there’s remaining evidence, including a trail of bright-red blood, a bloody hand against the home’s window, and a bullet hole striking right through a metal gate.

“It could’ve been awful,” says Maria, “It would’ve been on lockdown, [you] don’t let the kids out, but what if they were already coming out of school? What if a child gets hit? You never know what would happen.”

People who did not want to go on camera say this home has a history of crime and police activity.

“These people should be more careful in what they do,” says Maria.

Police say the victim in the shooting does not plan on filing any charges, so the investigation is over.

The school district says this is concerning, but reassures the number one priority is always safety for students and staff.