St. Louis High School Shooting: Who Was Orlando Harris, Suspect?
According to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, a gunman at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in the south city shot and killed two persons early on Monday.
Suspect in the St. Louis High School Shooting: Orlando Harris
The suspect in the St. Louis High School Shooting is identified as 19-year-old Orlando Harris. He have been suffering from mental health issues before he opened fire inside the school, killing a female teacher and a teenage girl, as per the report. Orlando who has been graduated from school last year is regarded as the suspect involved in the CVPA shooting.
Just a few minutes after his shooting rampage began at 9:10 a.m., Orlando Harris was shot and killed by responding police at Central Visual & Performing Arts High School. Police claimed during a press conference that they entered the blaze “without hesitation” as the kids escaped the building.
Interim Police Commissioner Michael Sack remarked, “This could have been far worse.” When Harris was shot and killed, according to Sack, he had roughly a dozen 30-round, high-capacity magazines with him.
He said detectives are still working to ascertain his motive, but are investigating the possibility that Harris was suffering from a mental illness.
Who are the victims of the CVPA shooting?
A teacher that was killed by the gunman at the school shooting at CVPA has been identified as MsKuczak. Alexandria Bell is the other victim of the CVPA shooting. The name of other victims is still not revealed. Police reported that a woman passed away in the hospital and that a teenage girl was found dead inside the school, both of which were caused by gunshot wounds.
According to family members quoted in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the woman killed was identified as 61-year-old Jean Kuczka, a health and PE teacher who had five of her children.
Abbey Kuczka, the teacher’s daughter, told the newspaper that her mother was in her first year as an “empty nester” and had chosen to work as a cross-country coach for a neighboring school to keep occupied. Despite her love for children and teaching, Kuczka was getting close to retirement and was looking forward to it, according to Abbey.
Abbey told the Post-Dispatch, “She loved her students. “I know her students looked at her like she was their mom because a lot of them didn’t have a good home life… She was looking forward to retirement though. She was close.”
Alexandria Bell, the teen, was later identified by family members. On November 18, she would have turned sixteen.
Seven more victims were taken to a hospital and their conditions were recorded as stable. Four of those who were hospitalized were shot, according to the police. The three other patients had broken bones or abrasions, which required hospitalization. All of them were between the ages of 15 and 16.
What happened at St.Louis High school?
The gunman Orlando Harris opened fire and killed a teacher and teenager and injured many students on Monday morning. Within minutes, police arrived and killed the gunman. Officers responded by shooting and killing the gunman.
In a reported shooting that happened at a high school in St. Louis on Monday morning, at least six people were hurt, including the suspect. Police inside CVPA quickly stopped the shooter. The motive behind the shooting is not known. The suspect in the St. Louis High School Shooting is not revealed by the police.
Our department responded to an active shooting incident this morning at Central VP School. A suspect was taken into custody.
WE ARE ASKING THE PUBLIC TO PLEASE AVOID THE AREA OF S. KINGSHIGHWAY FROM SOUTHWEST TO ARSENAL UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. THIS INVESTIGATION IS ONGOING.
— St. Louis, MO Police (@SLMPD) October 24, 2022
The incident took place shortly after 9 a.m., according to Lieutenant Colonel Michael Sack, the interim chief of the St. Louis Police Department. A few minutes after police arrived and entered the school, which is situated at the intersection of Kingshighway and Arsenal.
Pupils informed the police that the suspect was carrying a long gun as the students filed out of the building.
Upon hearing gunfire, according to Sack, the officers rushed there. The officers surrounded the shooter, and both sides exchanged gunfire, resulting in the death of a suspect. The motive behind the shooting is still not known and police have been investigating this matter.
At this time, the scene is secure and there is no active threat. A news conference will be held soon. https://t.co/lIWKnssED5
— St. Louis, MO Police (@SLMPD) October 24, 2022
After being hit, the shooter was brought to the hospital, where he eventually passed away. His identity has not been made public. According to the police, he was around 20 years old. According to Sack, no policemen were hurt during the altercation. Sack added it’s unclear what led to the shooting. The suspect was shot inside the school and later declared dead at a hospital.
CVPA shooting explained
Eight people were hurt overall in this incident, including a teen girl who was also shot and died, as well as an adult woman who was later pronounced dead at a hospital. Formerly known as Southwest High School, CVPA is a public school with 400 enrolled students that focuses on the visual, performing, and musical arts. The other victims sustained a range of gunshot and shrapnel wounds. They are receiving treatment in nearby hospitals.
Maths teacher of the school says, “The school principal announced the code word that denotes the presence of a school shooter over the loudspeaker around 9 a.m.”, according to math instructor David Williams. Williams heard several gunshots outside his classroom, and the door’s window was shot out. He then heard a man say, “You are all going to (expletive) die.”
Police Officer Sack said, “This is a heartbreaking day for all of us. It’s going to be tough, “While on paper we might have nine victims, eight who were transported, one remained, we have hundreds of others. Everyone who survived here is going to take home trauma.”
Officials did not say how the shooter got into the School building. “The school was closed and the doors were locked,”
Sack said, “The security staff did an outstanding job identifying the suspect’s efforts to enter and immediately notified other staff and ensured that we were contacted. It was that timely response by that security officer, the fact that the door did cause pause for the suspect, that bought us some time.”
Dr. Kelvin Adams, Superintendent of SLPS, claimed there were seven active security guards in the school. Later all the students were evacuated from the school.
Before being relocated to a Schnucks parking lot on Arsenal Street, students had initially congregated at the Courtesy Diner on Kingshighway.
Parents have been directed to Gateway STEM, located at 5101 McRee Avenue, in order to reunite with their children. As a result, the Kingshighway and Arsenal intersection was briefly closed. The crime tape has been placed in the area for police investigation. The police are still investigating the motive of the suspect in the St. Louis High School Shooting.