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Trainer and teenage killed in capturing at south St. Louis highschool. Suspect is useless.

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Taniya Lumpkin, and Taniya Gholston college students at Central Visible and Performing Arts Excessive Faculty, and Takisha Duncan, a pupil’s father or mother, react to the college capturing that occurred on Monday, Oct. 24, 2022.



ST. LOUIS — A gunman entered a south St. Louis highschool on Monday with a “lengthy gun” and a number of high-capacity magazines, capturing a teenage lady and a well being instructor to dying and injuring a number of others earlier than police shot and killed him, authorities mentioned.

Police recognized the suspect late Monday as Orlando Harris, 19, a graduate final yr of the college, Central Visible and Performing Arts Excessive Faculty, at Arsenal Avenue and South Kingshighway close to Tower Grove Park.

One survivor heard the shooter say he was “uninterested in everyone” within the college. Police mentioned the injury may have been far worse. The shooter’s gun jammed at one level, one pupil mentioned, giving youngsters time to flee. And police discovered greater than a dozen 30-round magazines on him.

Authorities didn’t launch the names of the lady and the teenage lady who died. However kin of the lady recognized her to the Put up-Dispatch as 61-year-old Jean Kuczka, who taught well being and bodily schooling. Kuczka, a mom of 5, lived within the Dittmer space of Jefferson County. 

Persons are additionally studying…

And household and buddies mentioned sophomore Alexandria Bell, 16, liked artwork and dance and was continuously smiling.







Jean Kuczka

Jean Kuczka


4 different college students had been shot and injured — two within the leg, one within the arm, and one within the palms and jaw. Two extra college students suffered abrasions, and a lady fractured her ankle. 

Interim St. Louis police Commissioner Michael Sack mentioned Monday night that he was “extraordinarily proud” of the police response. The decision for an lively shooter got here in at 9:11 a.m., and the shooter was shot 14 minutes in a while the college’s third flooring. He mentioned a safety officer noticed the person making an attempt to enter the constructing, and police had been alerted. 

A number of mother and father and St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones additionally counseled the police response. 

“This might have been a lot worse,” Sack mentioned.

Sack refused to say how the gunman bought into the constructing however mentioned all doorways had been locked. The constructing has metallic detectors and 7 safety officers.

Sack mentioned the gunman had no felony historical past.

There are two magnet excessive faculties on the campus — Central Visible and Performing Arts, with about 400 college students, and Collegiate Faculty of Drugs and Bioscience, with about 300 college students.

David Williams, a math instructor on the college, mentioned the college principal came visiting the loudspeaker round 9 a.m. and mentioned the code phrase that signifies a shooter within the constructing. Williams heard a number of photographs outdoors his classroom, and one of many home windows on the classroom door was shot out. He then heard a person say, “You might be all going to (expletive) die.”

Police have not mentioned what number of photographs had been fired inside the college. 

Elijah Pohlman, a 15-year-old sophomore, mentioned it was chaos when the code came visiting the loudspeaker. He mentioned he texted his mother and father that he liked them, then heard 4 gunshots and took off working. He mentioned he virtually ran right into a physique within the hallway on his means out.  

“I don’t even know methods to take care of it,” he mentioned later. “I’m scared.”

Raymond J. Parks, a dance instructor on the college, mentioned he was about to show a ballet class when he noticed the shooter carrying all black with a protracted gun out of the nook of his eye. Parks mentioned the person pointed the gun at him however didn’t fireplace for some purpose.

Taniya Gholston, 16, was within the dance class when the capturing began.

“He mentioned like, ‘I am uninterested in this rattling college,’ and, ‘I am uninterested in everyone on this rattling college,'” she mentioned.

Taniya mentioned the shooter’s gun ultimately jammed and that she was capable of run for security.

Ranaiyah Cole was within the dance class too, stretching, when she heard a gunshot.

“We hid in a nook behind a mat,” mentioned Ranaiyah, 16.

As soon as the gunman ran off, Ranaiyah and her classmates darted out of the college and to a vacant Walgreens constructing.

Nylah Jones, a ninth grader on the college, mentioned she was in math class when the shooter fired into the room from the hallway however couldn’t get into the classroom. College students piled into the nook of the room and tried to not transfer because the shooter banged on the door, she mentioned. 

Ryane Owens, 18, a senior at CVPA, mentioned college students “thought it was a drill at first. Then we heard noises.”

“When you heard the increase,” mentioned instructor Michael De Filippo, “all of the chuckling and laughing at the back of the room stopped.”

Taniya Lumpkin was in speech and debate class on the time. She mentioned a workers member instructed them to shut and lock the door as they do for an intruder drill, however they “did not know if it was actual or not.”

“Subsequent factor you realize, we simply heard gunshots,” Taniya mentioned. First single photographs rang out, then a number of, then single once more, she mentioned.

Ja’miah Hampton, 16, was in vocal class on the fourth flooring of the constructing when she heard gunshots on the third flooring.

“I heard one huge one, after which there have been so many I ended counting,” she mentioned. “I am confused why individuals are so merciless.”

Scene of a college capturing at Central Visible and Performing Arts Excessive Faculty.



By 9:30 a.m., the realm across the college was blocked off by police, ambulances and a SWAT van. College students and workers streamed from the buildings with palms within the air, submitting up Hereford Avenue towards the Schnucks grocery retailer on Arsenal, the place a whole bunch of evacuees gathered.

There, college students and their mother and father reconnected, hugging and crying.

One boy was consoling his mom.

“I’m glad it’s over. My buddies are alive. It’s OK, Mother. It’s OK, I’m right here,” he mentioned.

Earlier Monday, Mayor Jones and Rep. Cori Bush spoke on the first information convention of the day.

“It is so unfair,” Jones mentioned, choking up. “I am heartbroken for these households. Our kids should not should expertise this.”

Bush mentioned it’s important to get assist should you want it within the capturing’s aftermath: “If you do not know who to speak to, you possibly can name our workplace,” she mentioned. “It is OK to not be OK.”

In Washington, White Home Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre addressed the capturing with reporters: “Within the wake of Newtown, Parkland, Buffalo, Uvalde and numerous different shootings in communities throughout the nation, we want extra motion to cease the scourge of gun violence,” calling on the U.S. Senate to approve an assault weapons ban and take “different commonsense actions.”

CVPA was Southwest Excessive Faculty for many years till 1992. 

Steph Kukuljan and Katie Kull of the Put up-Dispatch contributed to this story.


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