Newsman: Two people were killed after a shooting at a St. Louis high school Monday morning that also sent multiple people to hospitals, Police said. Jean Kuczka, a 61-year-old health teacher, and Alexzandria Bell, a 15-year-old student, were killed in the shooting, according to Saint Louis Public Schools.
Police say Monday, a 19-year-old former student Orlando Harris killed a teacher and a 15-year-old student at the Central Visual and Performing Arts High School. The gunman was pronounced dead after a gunfight with authorities.
The 19-year-old gunman who was armed with an AR-15-style rifle and over 600 rounds of ammunition, and left behind a note referencing mass shootings, police said.
He was identified as a 2021 graduate of Central with no criminal history, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Interim Chief Mike Sack told reporters at a news conference.
St. Louis Police on Tuesday showed an image of the rifle used by Orlando Harris, who died after exchanging fire with authorities. After a gunfight with authorities Orlando Harris was taken into custody and later pronounced dead, a St. Louis police official told reporters.
“He had seven magazines of ammunition on a chest rig that he wore, he also had an additional eight magazines of ammunition in a field bag that he had carried,” St. Louis Police Chief Mike Sack told reporters. “This doesn’t include the number of magazines that he left and dumped on the stairway in the corridors along the way.”
Sack did not clarify how the shooter got access to the weapon but stressed the importance of checking in with individuals who are in distress.
“If you’re aware of an individual, who appears to be suffering from some kind of mental illness or distress, and they begin speaking about purchasing firearms or causing harm to others, we encourage you to reach out to somebody and report that so that we can get help to that individual,” he said.
Sack read part of the note during the news conference, in which Harris described himself as a loner and made reference to mass shootings.
“So, in reading this, we could see some of what’s going on inside his mind,” said Sack. “He feels isolated, he feels alone, quite possibly angry and resentful of others who have what appeared to him to be healthy relationships and so desired to lash out.”
Police Chief Mike Sack said a call came in from the high school for an active shooter at 9:11 a.m. and officers arrived on scene four minutes later. They located the shooter eight minutes after arriving on scene, engaging in a gunfight and securing him.
Chaos unfolded shortly after 9 a.m. when authorities learned of a shooter with a long gun inside the Central Visual and Performing Arts High School. The school and the Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience, which is in the same building, were locked down.
Sack said the gunman entered the school with a rifle in an “aggressive, violent manner” and had almost a dozen 30-round magazines on him.
“There was no mystery about what was going to happen,” he said. Officers are still working on a motive, but Sack said there are “suspicions that there may be some mental illness that he is experiencing.”
People gather outside after a shooting at the Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in St. Louis on Monday. Jordan Opp / St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP
“While on paper we might have nine victims, eight who were transported and one remained, we have hundreds of others,” Sack said earlier. “Everyone who survived here is going to take home trauma.”
Jean Kuczka, a 61-year-old health teacher at the high school, was killed, said Abbey Kuczka, her daughter.
“I found out just a few hours ago,” she said Monday afternoon.
Kuczka was a mother of five, a grandmother of seven and a bike rider who participated in an annual charity event to raise money for juvenile diabetes, which her son has, according to her profile on the high school’s website.
Alexzandria Bell, 15, was identified by the St. Louis Office of the Medical Examiner as the second victim. Police initially identified her as a 16-year-old girl.
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones called the shooting “a devastating and traumatic situation.”
“I’m heartbroken for these families who send their children to our schools hoping that they will be safe,” she said at the news conference. “Our children shouldn’t have to experience this. They shouldn’t have to go through active shooter drills in case something happens. And unfortunately, that happened today.”
Central and the Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience are closed Tuesday due to the ongoing investigation, but the rest of the schools in the district remain open, Superintendent Kelvin Adams said in a letter shared with families and staff.
“We are all devastated by the loss, and we remain laser focused on students, staff and families impacted by this terrible tragedy,” he said. “Counseling is underway and will continue as we avail ourselves of additional resources so generously offered by our medical, mental health and school district communities.”
He was identified as a 2021 graduate of Central with no criminal history, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Interim Chief Mike Sack told reporters at a news conference.
St. Louis Police on Tuesday showed an image of the rifle used by Orlando Harris, who died after exchanging fire with authorities. After a gunfight with authorities Orlando Harris was taken into custody and later pronounced dead, a St. Louis police official told reporters.
“He had seven magazines of ammunition on a chest rig that he wore, he also had an additional eight magazines of ammunition in a field bag that he had carried,” St. Louis Police Chief Mike Sack told reporters. “This doesn’t include the number of magazines that he left and dumped on the stairway in the corridors along the way.”
Sack did not clarify how the shooter got access to the weapon but stressed the importance of checking in with individuals who are in distress.
“If you’re aware of an individual, who appears to be suffering from some kind of mental illness or distress, and they begin speaking about purchasing firearms or causing harm to others, we encourage you to reach out to somebody and report that so that we can get help to that individual,” he said.
Sack read part of the note during the news conference, in which Harris described himself as a loner and made reference to mass shootings.
“So, in reading this, we could see some of what’s going on inside his mind,” said Sack. “He feels isolated, he feels alone, quite possibly angry and resentful of others who have what appeared to him to be healthy relationships and so desired to lash out.”
Police Chief Mike Sack said a call came in from the high school for an active shooter at 9:11 a.m. and officers arrived on scene four minutes later. They located the shooter eight minutes after arriving on scene, engaging in a gunfight and securing him.
Chaos unfolded shortly after 9 a.m. when authorities learned of a shooter with a long gun inside the Central Visual and Performing Arts High School. The school and the Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience, which is in the same building, were locked down.
Sack said the gunman entered the school with a rifle in an “aggressive, violent manner” and had almost a dozen 30-round magazines on him.
“There was no mystery about what was going to happen,” he said. Officers are still working on a motive, but Sack said there are “suspicions that there may be some mental illness that he is experiencing.”
People gather outside after a shooting at the Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in St. Louis on Monday. Jordan Opp / St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP
“While on paper we might have nine victims, eight who were transported and one remained, we have hundreds of others,” Sack said earlier. “Everyone who survived here is going to take home trauma.”
Jean Kuczka, a 61-year-old health teacher at the high school, was killed, said Abbey Kuczka, her daughter.
“I found out just a few hours ago,” she said Monday afternoon.
Kuczka was a mother of five, a grandmother of seven and a bike rider who participated in an annual charity event to raise money for juvenile diabetes, which her son has, according to her profile on the high school’s website.
Alexzandria Bell, 15, was identified by the St. Louis Office of the Medical Examiner as the second victim. Police initially identified her as a 16-year-old girl.
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones called the shooting “a devastating and traumatic situation.”
“I’m heartbroken for these families who send their children to our schools hoping that they will be safe,” she said at the news conference. “Our children shouldn’t have to experience this. They shouldn’t have to go through active shooter drills in case something happens. And unfortunately, that happened today.”
Central and the Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience are closed Tuesday due to the ongoing investigation, but the rest of the schools in the district remain open, Superintendent Kelvin Adams said in a letter shared with families and staff.
“We are all devastated by the loss, and we remain laser focused on students, staff and families impacted by this terrible tragedy,” he said. “Counseling is underway and will continue as we avail ourselves of additional resources so generously offered by our medical, mental health and school district communities.”
