Suspected Shooter Identified in Lee High School Shooting, Faces Attempted Murder Charges

The Montgomery Police Department has arrested four teenage suspects —all students — following the Feb. 26 shooting at Lee High School in which a fellow student was shot and wounded. The 17-year old victim sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the arm. He was treated at a local hospital before being released to recover at home.

MPD has charged one student in connection with the shooting:

Michael Woods

***Michael Woods, 17, is identified as the suspected shooter. He has been charged as an adult with attempted murder and possession of a firearm on school premises. He was placed in the Montgomery County Detention Facility under bonds totaling $75,000. The firearm — a handgun — used in the shooting has not been recovered..

Police have charged a second student in connection with possession of a separate second firearm on campus. MPD apprehended him fleeing from campus after the shooting and located the firearm in his possession. This student, a 16-year-old male, has been charged with possession of a firearm on school premises and terroristic threats, but was uninvolved in the shooting. Police have confirmed that the student was in class with the weapon in his backpack, and fled the classroom
when the school was placed on lockdown following the shooting. MPD charged him on a juvenile petition and placed him in the Montgomery County Youth Detention Facility.

MPD has charged two additional students in connection with possession of a separate third firearm on campus, also uninvolved in the shooting. MPD’s investigation indicates these two students were in the gym at the time of the shooting and had possession of a separate firearm.

This third firearm has also not been recovered. MPD charged:

***A 17-year-old male juvenile with possession of a firearm on school premises and terroristic threats. MPD charged him on a juvenile petition and placed him in the Montgomery County Youth Detention Facility.

***A 14-year-old male juvenile with possession of a firearm on school premises and terroristic threats. MPD charged him on a juvenile petition and placed him in the Montgomery County Youth Detention Facility.

Police Chief Ernest Finley and Mayor Todd Strange widely credited MPD’s STAR Watch with providing investigators the video evidence needed to quickly identify these suspects. Investigators spent hours reviewing video footage, which led to the identification of Woods and the 17- and 14-year-old juvenile suspects. MPD unveiled STAR Watch earlier this year as a technology initiative that links video camera feeds from throughout the city.

Police also expressed appreciation for Montgomery Public Schools’ response and support in acting immediately to lock down the school and in facilitating MPD’s secondary search of the school following the shooting. Finley further thanked the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for their immediate response and assistance.

MPD’s investigation is continuing, and police are working with MPS to determine how and when the weapons were introduced to campus. No additional information is available for release at this time.