Three killed, including gunman, in St. Louis school shooting

Zach Schonfeld
·2 min read
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Three people were killed during a shooting at a St. Louis high school on Monday, including the gunman, police said.

St. Louis Police Commissioner Michael Sack said at a press conference that a teenage female was pronounced dead at the scene at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School, while an adult female and the roughly 20-year-old gunman were transported to the hospital and pronounced dead there.

Six others were transported to the hospital for injuries, Sack said.

The police chief added that authorities had not yet identified the gunman, who was struck during a gunfire exchange with authorities, and there is no ongoing threat.

“This is a heartbreaking day for all of us,” Sack said. “It’s gonna be tough. While on paper we might have nine victims, eight were transported and one remained, we have hundreds of others. Everyone who survived here are going to take home trauma.”

The school district said it placed the school and the Collegiate School of Medicine & Bioscience, which is located in the same building, on lockdown once the shooting began. The district later set up a reunification center for parents at Gateway STEM High School.

Sack touted the response of the department’s officers at Monday’s press conference, saying they received a call about an active shooter at about 9:10 a.m. and arrived at the school moments later.

“I was talking to a captain who was one of the first people into the school building,” Sack said. “He spoke about how the officers arrived quickly, made entry with no hesitation, went directly to the sound of gunfire — which is the expectation not only of the department but the community as well, to protect our kids and our teachers in these schools.”

The building was subsequently searched by a SWAT team and a bomb officer, Sack said.

“Help us Jesus,” tweeted St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones (D) shortly after the shooting took place.

Education Week’s tracker indicates 39 other school shootings have taken place nationwide so far in 2022. Those incidents killed 32 people and injured 81 others.

This story was updated at 1:09 p.m.

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