In the incident at Central Visual and Performing Arts, a teacher and student died, and the shooter was also murdered.
Following a shooting at a high school in south St. Louis on Monday morning, two individuals are dead and seven others are hurt. The suspect was killed, according to interim St. Louis police chief Michael Sack, during a shootout with officers at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School. The two victims, one an adult and the other a 15-year-old, were both female. After informing their next of kin, Sack promised to reveal their identities. One of the victims was identified as Jean Kuczka, a teacher of health and physical education at the school, by family members. She spent the last 20 years of her 38-year teaching career with St. Louis Public Schools, according to her daughter Abbey.
Kuczka was taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared her dead. At the scene, the teen victim was pronounced dead.
The other victims—all teenagers—were said to be in good condition, according to Sack. As follows:
a female teenager who had her leg shot.
a male teenager, age 16, who had his leg shot.
a male teenager, age 15, who had his jaw and both hands shot.
a male teenager, age 15, who was shot in the arm.
a female, age 15, with cuts on her face and knee.
An ankle fracture was sustained by a 16-year-old female.
a male teenager, age 16, who had facial cuts.
Sack stated during the initial briefing at approximately 11:15 a.m., “This is a tragic day for all of us.” “Even if there are nine victims listed on the paper, everyone who survived here will suffer trauma,”
Around 9:25 a.m., the police department first learned that bullets had been fired at the magnet school, which is located at 3125 S. Kingshighway. Just a few minutes after the police entered the school, according to Sack, the shooter was shot and killed by police.
Police named the gunman as 19-year-old Orlando Harris, a 2021 CVPA graduate, at a 5 p.m. update conference. Sack asserted that he had no history of criminal activity. We’re trying to figure out what would have motivated him to do this, and we’re working with our Force Investigative Unit and other detectives, said Sack. There are rumours that he may have been suffering from a mental ailment.
According to Sack, the death toll at the school may have been far higher. When officers approached the shooter, he was toting almost a dozen high-capacity magazines. Sack said that the school was closed and the doors were secured. He said that when the gunman attempted to enter, the school’s security crew promptly contacted police, but the chief declined to say how he managed to do so.
Sack was quite complimentary of the responding officers, adding that they entered the building without hesitation and sprinted into the line of fire to shield the pupils. He claimed that there was no hesitation. They entered immediately. Sack also gave thanks to the school’s faculty and personnel for assisting the pupils in escaping. Approximately 700 pupils were enrolled there at the time.
He said, “Thank God for the adults.
According to Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson, the St. Louis Fire Department immediately declared a mass casualty situation once a shooting at the school was confirmed. Although, in his opinion, the situation appeared chaotic, the medical staff acted in accordance with their training.
This strategy worked, he declared. Dan Isom, interim director of public safety for the city, stated that he believes the swift responses of the St. Louis police and school security officers saved lives. Discussion of the breaking news on “St. Louis on the Air”
In a statement made public about 12:30 p.m., the school district said that it had put all 62 of its buildings on a severe lockdown for the remainder of the day and suspended all extracurricular activities.
There is restricted access to and exit from the schools during a hard lockdown. When a guardian wants to pick up a student, they must notify the school ahead of time to let the staff know when and who will be there. Police have increased patrols in the area where the incident occurred, but Sack said he didn’t think there were any more parties involved or that the neighbourhood was in danger. Seven security guards, according to school superintendent Kelvin Adams, were present at the institution. Sack claimed that the third floor was where the shooting occurred. There is frequently a code phrase used by schools in the event of an active shooter. Velazquez, Yurisky Vera, a sophomore at the age of 16, claimed she could tell it wasn’t a drill by the tone.
She saw her teacher being shot while she was hiding in the room’s back corner. She was dreading the possibility of losing contact with her parents or grandparents.
What will happen to the children of the future if these things don’t stop? What will become of them?” she said. We ought to be able to attend school without being concerned about being shot. Acucena Vera, Yurisky’s mother, expressed doubt that she would ever feel secure sending her daughter back to school.
When all they want to do is come in and study, they have to keep going through this, she said. Calling her office at 314-955-9980 is what U.S. Representative Cori Bush advised anyone who needs support, particularly for mental health. She said, “It’s okay to not feel fine. “Don’t keep it inside of yourself; it’s okay.”
Student Sarah Lewis, 18, claimed to have been in the classroom just above where the shooting occurred. She claimed to have heard gunfire and thumping.
She admitted, “I truly thought I wouldn’t make it out of there.”
As she was leaving the building, 16-year-old Isabella Alamo claimed she seen a figure at the foot of the steps. She claimed that in order to spare them from seeing the blood, she “tried to persuade them to go out faster.” Mayor Tishaura Jones, who was obviously upset, claimed to have visited CVPA on the first day of classes for the pupils. “We sang, danced, and we laughed. And now, to be here during such a tragic and upsetting event, especially as a mother, breaks my heart,” she remarked. The niece of Rep. Peter Meredith, a Democrat from St. Louis, studies at CVPA. In his state House district is the school. He expressed his concern for the pupils and their families on Facebook.
Alderman Shane Cohn of the 25th Ward posted on Twitter, saying: “Nobody should go through this at school. This shouldn’t occur at the office. This shouldn’t happen to anyone at the movies. This shouldn’t happen at a concert. This shouldn’t happen in a grocery store. This should never happen to anyone. The district where the schools are located is represented by state senator Karla May, a Democrat from St. Louis. She urged her followers on Twitter to pray for the victims of the violence.
In a statement, Gov. Mike Parson said that he had been briefed on the shooting and was ready to offer any state resources to aid in the investigation. The victims, their families, and the entire community are in his and Teresa’s prayers, he said.
The Missouri General Assembly was given some of the blame for the shooting by both candidates for president of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen. Megan Green, an alderwoman for the 15th Ward, said it was outrageous that the Republican-controlled legislature had restricted our options. “We are not allowed to take additional steps to remove guns from our streets.”
Congress was the target of her opponent, 7th Ward Alderman Jack Coatar, as well. He claimed that the sheer lack of action in Jefferson City and Washington had made school shootings “normalised.” Both of Missouri’s U.S. senators, Roy Blunt and Josh Hawley, commended law officers for their swift action in messages shared on Twitter. Kim Gardner, the St. Louis Circuit Attorney, was one of those praising the adults at the school for their action.
One thing is certain: the lockdown procedures, which first responders, instructors, and students at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in St. Louis Public Schools followed as this attack progressed, were crucial in stopping additional carnage. I personally want to express my gratitude and sympathies to each of them. Wesley Bell, Gardner’s colleague in St. Louis County, stated that his office was prepared to provide any assistance it could. “We are offering prayers for the victims, as well as for the kids, teachers, and anyone else wounded by these terrible acts of violence. Thank you to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police officers who responded to these tragic shootings in a way that can only be described as heroic “said he.
The FBI is also assisting with the shooting investigation. fbi.gov/CentralVPA is the place where anyone with images or video of the incident can post them. Such coordination between federal and local law enforcement, according to a spokeswoman for the FBI office in St. Louis, is typical. The shooting, according to Jay Greenberg, the special agent in charge of the agency, has increased the number of erroneous calls regarding further school shootings in the region. He claimed that the shooting’s media coverage might be to blame. If you have a child who is old enough to use a gadget, please have a talk with them and let them know that any joke or hoax about a school shooting they transmit now will be taken very seriously, said Greenberg.
