The family of the shooter who killed a teacher and a student in a St. Louis high school removed a gun he acquired from their home before the Monday attack and did “everything they could” to help him get mental health support, police revealed Wednesday.
St. Louis Metropolitan Police Interim Chief Michael Sack shared new details in the case in a press conference but several questions remain: how the shooter acquired a gun and how he entered the school despite locked doors, security guards and metal detectors at the school.
Sack said shooting suspect Orlando Harris, 19, made a “forced entry” into Central Visual and Performing Arts High School, without providing further details.
Family worked with police to remove suspect’s gun from home
Sack said the suspect’s family was “aware” that he had obtained the gun, though it’s not clear exactly when he did. An investigation by the ATF is underway to track the source of that gun sale.
“[The family] worked with our department to transfer that to an adult who could legally possess one,” Sack said.
He said he believes the firearm the family contacted police about may have been the same AR-15-style rifle he used in the school shooting.
“[The family] contacted us and said he had a firearm, I believe it could have possibly been this gun. The officer and their response handed it over to somebody else, an adult who was lawfully able to possess it,” Sack said.
“The mother wanted it out of the house, so they facilitated it, the party had it. How he acquired it after that, we don’t know. We’re looking into it,” Sack said.
It’s not clear who the gun was transferred to. Sack said the interaction with the suspect’s family and police likely took place within the past few months, though he didn’t know the specific date.
Suspect’s family did ‘everything they could’ to aid his mental health
Sack said that the suspect’s family has been very cooperative with police.
The family was aware of the suspect’s mental health issues and did “everything that they possibly could have done” to help him —including getting him therapy, medication, committing him on several occasions — but “sometimes that’s not enough.”
“The mother, the adult daughter, they worked with him. They kind of had a system where they would track what might come in the mail, his interaction with others and try to make sure that he’s engaging people, that he feels loved,” Sack said.
The shooting suspect, who left behind a note describing himself as a loner and referred to mass shootings, died after a gunfire exchange with law enforcement.
Jean Kuczka, 61, a health teacher, and Alexzandria Bell, 15, a student, were killed in the shooting, officials said.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
