ST. LOUIS — The man accused of killing a teacher and teen earlier this week in a south St. Louis school shooting bought the AR-15-style gun from a private seller after an FBI background check blocked his attempted purchase from a licensed dealer in St. Charles.
No existing law would have prevented the private sale of the gun to Orlando Harris, 19, police said.
Harris is accused of a shooting Monday at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School and Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience that left two dead and seven injured. Police said he entered the campus, at Kingshighway and Arsenal Street, with about 600 rounds of ammunition. Harris was killed by police after the attack.
Police said Wednesday that Harris' family was increasingly worried about his mental state in the weeks leading up to the attack, and at one point had him "committed." Involuntary commitment to a mental health institution is one of the triggers that can block the purchase of firearms at licensed dealers.
St. Louis Police Sgt. Charles Wall did not immediately respond to questions about why exactly Harris failed the background check on Oct. 8.
Police responded to Harris' home on Oct. 15 after his mother found a gun in the house and wanted it removed. Police said Thursday they did not have the authority to take the gun since Missouri does not have a red flag law. That same gun was used in Monday's attack.
A third person, known to the family, eventually took the gun away, but Harris somehow retrieved it.
Teacher Jean Kuczka and student Alexzandria Bell were killed in the shooting.
The private dealer had legally purchased the gun from a federally licensed dealer in December 2020. Police did not provide any more information about the private dealer.
A spokesperson for the local FBI field office did not have more information Thursday evening.
St. Charles Police and St. Charles County Prosecutor Tim Lohmar could not be immediately reached for comment.
