Gov. Cooper to speak on 2 NC school shootings in 3 days

240 miles separate the two schools. Wednesday night, parents and students in the two communities were asking - why?

School and community leaders are vocal about what can be done to keep this from happening again.

At Mount Tabor, there was still a police presence at the school well into the night as all the entrances into the high school were blocked off by squad cars. Meanwhile, the churches in the community opened their doors for prayer.

“What’s the next step? I think the next step - we live in a divided country," said Daron Osborne with Friends Baptist Church. "As believers, if there is an outcome I want, I need to sow into that outcome. So if I want love, I need to sow love.”

This community is in need of love after a day filled with panic. The shooting left parents scrambling for answers.

Mount Tabor High School Student William Chavis Raynard Miller Jr. was shot. Miller died at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

“I’m upset," one parent told WRAL. "I’m upset that I can’t get to her. I’m upset that she can’t get to me.”

Parents were reunited with their children around 4 p.m. The shooter was arrested around 6 p.m.

NCPTA President Francelia Burwell was asked if now is the time to think about installing metal detectors in schools.

“I don’t know if metal detectors is the right approach," Burwell said. "I do think that we have to have a conversation. With law enforcement and local government officials working together in collaboration.”

There is a push to focus more on student needs and helping students to learn how to cope with stress and pressure.

"I really think that conversation should focus on the public health aspect of it. When looking at it, it's even more important to focus on mental health - making sure we have appropriate counselors in our schools," Burwell said.

In the coming days and months, those that work and study in Winston-Salem and Wilmington will need a lot of support.

The community is prepared to give it.