Mother speaks out after son, 16, shot near SF's Galileo Academy

SAN FRANCISCO - The mother of a 16-year-old boy shot a block from his high school near San Francisco’s Ghirardelli Square tells KTVU she thought at first he had been killed. 

But her son is recovering after he was shot in the ankle near North Point and Polk Streets at about 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, not far from Galileo Academy of Science and Technology.

The mother says other boys invited her son to go to a park and then pressured him to join their gang. She says when he refused, he was attacked and shot. She says the shooting happened after the recent Colombian immigrant had endured bullying from other boys on campus.

She says she notified police about the bullying but was told they couldn’t do anything. She was on campus Thursday to meet with school officials. 

She urged parents to remind their children that violence is not the right way to handle conflict. 

In a statement, the San Francisco Unified School District said, "We appreciate the student’s mother sharing her concerns. We are committed to doing everything we can to support her and her family, especially during this difficult time."

Cheeko Wells is with San Francisco’s Street Violence Intervention Program. He’s a graduate of Galileo who says the shooting erupted between sparring factions.

"Two rival ‘who knows; – so we leave it like that –  two rival ’who knows,' they had gotten into a verbal altercation, and this spread into the streets," Wells said. 

Galileo normally has an "open campus" policy. But a day after the shooting, students were barred from leaving campus for lunch.

Wells told students their safety is his priority.

"We understand the situation but we want to make sure you’re safe. Your parents will love the fact that you’re safe as well," Well said.

Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan