“Sometimes that’s not enough”: St. Louis school shooting suspect Orlando Harris’ family tried to take gun from shooter months before rampage

St. Louis school shooter identified as former student Orlando Harris (Image via Twitter @/JURYROOM)
St. Louis school shooter identified as former student Orlando Harris (Image via Twitter @/JURYROOM)

The family of 19-year-old Orlando Harris, the prime suspect in the school shooting at a St. Louis high school on Monday, October 24, has revealed that they had requested assistance removing his AR-15-style assault rifle nine days before the massacre.

Police said that on October 15, they had responded to a domestic disturbance call at Orlando Harris’ residence. His mother had found a weapon owned by her son and wanted it removed from the premises.

However, police determined that Harris was eligible to legally own the gun and contacted a “third party known to the family,” who took possession of the weapon, police said in a statement to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. But the weapon clearly found its way into Orlando Harris’ hands.

In a statement, Sgt. Charles Wall said:

"While it is not yet clear when or how the suspect came to be in possession of the firearm after this incident, we can confirm that the firearm involved in this incident is the firearm used in the shooting Monday."

Police Commissioner Michael Sack revealed that Harris had a history of mental health problems and that his family made him seek professional help multiple times. He further said that the case was being investigated by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. However, he said, it is difficult to trace a gun’s ownership if it has exchanged hands a few times.


What did Orlando Harris do? School shooting leaves St. Louis high school in mourning

On Monday, October 24, Orlando Harris returned to his alma mater and shot dead two people, including a teacher. According to police, he had enough ammunition to kill hundreds. Commissioner Michael Sack commented on the large amount of ammo owned by the shooter and said:

"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 carried."

Police also recovered a manifesto-like note from his car, which they believe was written just before he opened fire at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in St. Louis. Police Commissioner Michael Sack read out his note which said:

"I don’t have any friends. I don’t have any family. I’ve never had a girlfriend. I’ve never had a social life. I’ve been an isolated loner my entire life. This was the perfect storm for a mass shooter."

The shooting injured at least seven people and killed two, tenth-grader Alexandria Bell and 61-year-old physical education teacher Jean Kuczka.

Orlando Harris often struggled with mental health conditions. In a press conference, Sack told reporters:

"...They always worked to try and get him back on his medication, back into therapy, whatever it is that he needed. Sometimes that’s not enough. Mental health is a difficult thing. It’s hard to tell when someone is violent and going to act out."

Harris was killed in a shootout between him and the responding police officers.

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Edited by Shreya Das
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