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On October 24, Monday, 19-year-old Orlando Harris allegedly opened fire in a St. Louis high school, killing two people and injuring seven others before being fatally shot by responding officers.
As per the Independent, the incident took place at Central Visual and Performing Arts High school on Monday morning.
While St. Louis authorities have not yet identified Orlando Harris' motive behind perpetrating the crime, it appears that the attack was planned in advance. The St. Louis Dispatch reported that the 19-year-old had been armed with a long gun and several magazines.
According to police reports, the deceased victims of the shooting were identified to be a teacher and a student, both belonging to the Central VPA school.
While the names of the victims have not been officially disclosed by St. Louis authorities, local outlets reported that the teacher was 61-year-old Jean Kuczka while the student was 16-year-old Alexandria Bell.
Orlando Harris was a Central VPA High school alumnus
The St. Louis Police Department reported that Orlando Harris had graduated last year from the Central Visual and Performing Arts High School, the institution he targeted in the attack.
KMOV reported that Harris was most likely a resident of South St. Louis. As per Interim St. Louis Police Commissioner Michael Sack, the suspected shooter had no criminal history.
Taniya Gholston, a 16-year-old student who witnessed the shooting, said that Orlando Harris had previously expressed dissatisfaction with the school:
“He said like, ‘I’m tired of this damn school,’ and, ‘I’m tired of everybody in this damn school.'"
The suspect's social media presence was minimal.
Further details about the shooting
According to the New York Post, St. Louis authorities have not yet disclosed how Harris entered the school despite the fact that there were seven security guards and several metal detectors on the premises.
In an interview with KSDK-TV, student Keyshawn Brooks provided an eyewitness account of the shooting. He said:
“They had shot our classroom door down and a man opened the door and he was like, ‘Y’all are going to die today.'"
Brooks added:
“He shot the teacher first. She fell to the floor. Another boy got shot in the hand and he was bleeding. Two other girls got shot. When he left the room, we opened the window and we jumped out.”
Of the two victims, the student was pronounced dead at the scene, whereas the teacher reportedly died at a nearby hospital. The seven non-fatally injured victims were reportedly all students between the ages of 15 and 17.
St. Louis Public Schools announced that classes will be canceled on October 25 in the aftermath of the shooting.
