A suspect has been charged in an off-campus shooting that injured a Meridian High School student Tuesday afternoon. 

Sgt. Heather Luebbers said officers responded to a shooting call at 12:40 p.m. to the 2300 block of 24th Avenue.

“At this time, the Meridian Police Department can confirm a male juvenile was shot multiple times,” she said.

Lilrodrick Smith, 19, of Meridian was arrested Tuesday evening and charged with aggravated assault. He was booked into Kemper County jail with bond set at $250,000.

An initial investigation led officers to believe the victim and Smith knew each other, Luebbers said.

Meridian Public School District Superintendent Amy Carter said in a statement Wednesday that the shooting, which happened several blocks from Meridian High School, involved a student.

“Although the unfortunate incident that took place yesterday did not take place on campus, it did involve one of our students and was only a few blocks from Meridian High School and Ross Collins Career and Technical Center. We can all say this was too close for comfort,” Carter said. “The Wildcat family would like to extend our prayers to the family of the student who was injured.”

Carter praised the efforts of school staff, security and Meridian Police Department for keeping students safe. MPSD will continue to make safety a priority, she said.

“Our security team will continue to work closely with our administrative staff to ensure our campuses are safe places for our students,” she said. “If students, parents, or members of the community have any suggestions or recommendations they would like to share, please feel free to email me at info@mpsdconnect.org. We will continue to share updates on our security measures on campus. Together we can work collectively to continue keeping our schools safe.”