A teenager who broke into his former high school in St Louis early this morning (Monday, October 25) shot eight people, killing two, before being shot dead by police.
According to reports, the gunman stormed into Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in the city, shouting, “You are all going to die!” before fatally shooting a teacher and a teenage girl. He wounded six others before police killed him in an exchange of gunfire. The shooting happened just after 9am when the gunman, named as Orlando Harris, forced students to barricade doors and huddle in classroom corners, or to jump from windows and run out of the building to safety.
Police Chief Michael Sack told reporters at the scene that quick thinking by a security guard and police officers who “ran to the gunfire” helped end the shooting before more people were killed or injured. Harris graduated from the school just last year. Police said they did not yet have a motive, adding it was unclear if anyone had been targeted specifically. The 19-year-old had no prior criminal history.
