Last Updated on: 25th October 2022, 08:40 am
Who is Orlando Harris? Biography, Wiki
Orlando Harris is identified as a suspect in the central shooting at the High School for Visual and Performing Arts that left two dead and seven injured.
Harris graduated from the CVPA last year and has no criminal record, the chief said.
Orlando Harris Age
His current age is 19 years.
South St. Louis School Shooting
The shooting happened around 9:10 a.m. m. inside the school, on S. Kingshighway and Arsenal Street. CVPA is the former Southwest High School. It is a magnet school with around 400 students specializing in visual, musical, and performing arts.
Chief Sack said the first call for help came in at 9:11 a.m. The officers, some of whom were attending the funeral of a close colleague, arrived at the school at 9:15 am.
Officers entered the building and located Harris at 9:23 a.m. At 9:25 a.m. Harris was reported. At 9:52 a.m., the police gave the green light to the building for the first time.
Sack only identified the victims by age. However, the family of 61-year-old Jean Kuczka confirmed that she was the teacher killed in the shooting. Kuczka was taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The second victim, a 16-year-old student, was pronounced dead at school.
The other seven victims are 15 and 16 years old respectively. Three sustained direct gunshot wounds, one student was grazed by a bullet, two sustained gunshot abrasions and another victim fractured an ankle.
Police Investigation Report
In the hours leading up to Monday afternoon’s news conference, St. Louis police and FBI agents searched a home on the 9000 block of Pennsylvania Avenue. Chief Sack confirmed that Harris resided at this residence.
SLPS Superintendent Dr. Kelvin Adams said there were seven operational security guards at the school as of Monday, each stationed at an entry point. One of the guards noticed that the suspect was trying to get in through a closed door. The janitor notified the school authorities and arranged for the police to be informed.
Chief Sack did not say how the shooter got into the school. He said they would not discuss it publicly out of prudence. The principal confirmed that the school gates were locked. Not all school guards were armed.
The principal said the school’s security measures aim to slow down a potential shooter or attacker to give police time to respond to such an incident.