ROMULUS, Mich. – Maria Scott, the secretary at Romulus Middle School, is speaking out for the first time after stopping an armed man from entering the school.
Her quick thinking and calm composure helped keep staff and students safe during the frightening incident.
The simple act of not buzzing the man in made all the difference. Despite the scary situation, Scott knew her job was to ensure everyone inside made it home safely.
“My little one, they say, ‘Mom you’re a superhero, you’re a hero.’ Yeah, but for my oldest, he’s just grateful he has his mom,” Scott said.
Scott has been the secretary at Romulus Middle School for nearly 12 years, but never imagined facing a day like this.
“I said, ‘Hi, sir, how can I help you?’” she recalled. “He said ‘I’m here to get my cuss word kid,’ and I knew right there.”
On Tuesday morning, a parent named Shawntez Gregory buzzed into the system showing signs of trouble. Scott decided not to let him in and called 911 instead.
Within seconds, Gregory reached into his pocket.
“That’s when I noticed that it was a gun and at that point I didn’t know if it was real or fake, but I knew it was a gun,” Scott said.
Gregory pulled out the gun and started shooting, prompting Scott to put the school on lockdown.
“I knew I wanted to make it home, and I knew everyone in that building wanted to make it home to their families,” she said. “I have my son’s pictures behind my desk, so instantly when I heard the first shot, I instantly, as a mother, it was my children. I knew I needed to get home to them, and then after that, it was everyone in here too needs to get home to their families.”
The entire moment went by in a flash -- from her first words with Gregory to police arresting him.
“At that point, it was like oh I can breathe a little,” Scott said.
Despite the trauma, Scott’s love for her job and the children keeps her going.
“I love what I do, and I love who I do it for. From 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. I have 474 kids,” she said.
Scott wants to remind everyone to respect school procedures because they are in place for a reason.
She also urges families to keep the school informed if something is going on at home.