Two killed - a 61yr old Physical Education teacher, mother of five and a teenage girl. At least six others were injured, not all by gunfire. This appears to have been an optimal police reaction or likely many more would have been shot. The incident began approximately 9am local time and according to reports, the gunman was shot and killed within 30min. This is based upon preliminary reports. The gunman tried to enter the school, which was locked. There were seven (!) security officers on campus and one of them notified police, who immediately responded, gained the building's third floor and took out the shooter, a 19yr old male. The locked building, call from security and immediate police response appear to have thwarted what otherwise might have been a more violent situation. We don't know the extent to which the security officers were able to impact the situation, other than the call to police. The gunman's rifle apparently jammed, allowing many students and teachers to escape. Teacher and teen student killed in shooting at south St. Louis high school. Suspect dead.
The lack of responses tells me this kind of stuff is so common that it doesn't even surprise anybody. Rest in peace to the deceased, just another day in violent, gun-loving America.
I'm curious to know what a "security officer" is at this school, esp. considering the report that there are seven of them in a single HS of about 700 kids. Are they armed? What kind of training have they received? At any rate, it's another tragic scene that will torment many lives. Good that the police response was about as immediate as possible and that there appeared to be no hesitation on their part. Awful that we continue to have this instances play out in American schools. Anecdotally, I can say that more of the schools in MN now have locked doors and video / phone call required for entry. Sad that it's necessary, but it's become all too apparent that schools MUST be locked down so as to minimize tragedy.
This piece was edited today to add the St. Louis incident. School Shootings This Year: How Many and Where There have been 40 school shootings this year that resulted in injuries or deaths, the most in a single year since Education Week began tracking such incidents in 2018. There have been 132 such shootings since 2018. Prior to 2022, the highest number of school shootings with injuries or deaths was last year when there were 34. There were 10 in 2020, and 24 each in 2019 and 2018.
What a nightmare. “Thoughts and prayers” to the 61 year old woman teacher and teen girl. I think that’s all we are doing these days. I look forward to the local NRA fundraising campaign to protect gun owners rights in the wake of this tragedy.
Just remember...the NRA and gun owners believe that the problem is lack of mental health care. Which by the way is stupid! STUPID! I will never change my stance that either realistic gun ownership restrictions are enacted or A2 must go. The experiment has failed and maybe its time for a lot less chest pounding and a whole lot more giving a crap for those that find the hobby as a future death sentence. The NRA got its wish. Death is now acceptable as a byproduct of owning a gun.
Harris, 19, was named in a press conference by St. Louis police. He graduated from the school in 2021 and had no criminal history, they said. He did have a history of mental health issues, they said. Orlando Harris was a Black male, according to police. Police were searching a home in the 7000 block of Pennsylvania Avenue in South Saint Louis that related to Orlando Harris. He lived with family members, the chief said. Orlando Harris, St. Louis School Shooter: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
Sigh. This is my response because I don’t like to give negative ratings. To your mind what are “realistic restrictions?”
We made our choice after Sandy Hook. 20 dead kids wasn't enough for us to change, anything less than that is just background noise.
Not sure getting rid of the 2nd amendment is realistic. Don't you need something like 37 or 38 states to vote for it? (and California and New York count just as much as Montana and North Dakota.)
I will give it a try. You have to be 21 or 25 to own a gun. All guns must be kept secure in a house with children. Like a gun safe and a ten year mandatory jail sentence for an unsecure gun. Owning no more than ten bullets or another number I pulled 10 out of thin air. You can buy more bullets at a firing range but all purchased rounds have to be used at the firing range. Something about hunters needing training. I know people liking to take their kids hunting. Somebody else work out the carve out there.
Unfortunately, libbies are so in love with crime that we’re going to get a lot of this mess. Until common sense is restored, and criminals are taken Seriously…(see San Fran mayor remarks) soft ass libbies are taking over and they haven’t a clue why. The way libbies feel about too many guns, is exactly the frustration I feel about soft liberals who couldn’t control the behavior in an AP chemistry high school classroom.
This is true. If seeing bunch of dead white children get slaughtered won’t get them to budge, then nothing will.
The “security officer” is likely some overweight guy who spends all day rolling around the property in a golf cart looking for a cool, quiet place to take naps. Definitely not someone who is equipped to deal with a shooting.
I think that’s generally true of school resource officers, not that none of them take their jobs seriously or none stay in shape, just that the “average” is probably a cop near retirement or that is maybe not at the top of their game. Sort of the opposite end of the spectrum from someone working homicide or violent crime. It’s not a realistic expectation for a single school resource officer to engage mass shooters armed with AR-15, people expecting that are delusional. From what I read this school had *SEVEN* guards and locked doors. Apparently one of the 7 reacted quickly to the perp trying to gain entry and called in police backup. Sounds like in this case the locked doors (delaying the shooter) and the quick response probably helped prevent a massacre. It’s sad that American schools basically need prison security, but here we are.
