When the shooting broke out near the center for disease control and prevention, Christine Coles’ wife was to pick up a toddler at a day care worker on the corner. Instead, Coles received a text from his wife saying he had heard a gunshot outside his daycare, she told CNN affiliate WSB-TV.
When her wife and son entered “lockdown” inside Clifton School, Coles was plagued with anxiety when they headed to the scene. When police stopped her in her car, she said she walked about a mile to get closer to the daycare — just to be stopped again.
“Everyone looks safe. I need to see them,” Coles told WSB-TV. “I just hug him and stay with him and know he’s fine and I’m meeting him in person.”
She said her wife was in day care but couldn’t see her son in another classroom. Clifton School serves families who are employees of Atlanta’s CDC, Emory and Children’s Hospital.
“It’s very scary. Our kids should be able to go to school. People should be able to do it every day without threatening their lives,” Coles said.
