St. Louis School Shooting: Family Tried to Give Shooter Mental Health Treatment, Took His Gun Away
New details about 19-year-old shooter Orlando Harris, who killed two people and wounded several others at a St. Louis high school in Missouri, have surfaced.
Tragedy befell the Central Visual and Performing Arts High School when the gunman shot at people. According to St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Interim Chief Mike Sack, Harris' family members previously contacted the police and reported that he had a firearm.
Sack said Wednesday that his family grew concerned about his mental health and even sought to find help for him. He noted that Harris' mother wanted his AR-15-style rifle out of their house.
"The officers, in their response, handed it over to somebody else, an adult who was lawfully able to possess it," Sack said.
Yet somehow, Harris was still able to gain access to the firearm and 600 rounds of ammunition. According to CNN, this resulted in the deaths of 15-year-old student Alexzandria Bell and 61-year-old teacher Jean Kuczka. Harris himself was killed by officers responding to his rampage.
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Missouri: St. Louis School Shooter's Family 'Made Every Effort' To Help Him
According to Mike Sack, Orlando Harris' family also committed him to a mental institution. In addition to taking away his firearm and providing him with mental health treatment, Sack noted that his family also took additional steps to help prevent any trouble.
"They would search his room on occasion because they were concerned," said Sack, adding that the family "were constantly in touch with the medical providers who were providing medical care for him."
Sack noted that Harris' family also adopted a system to track the items he received in the mail. He said they also monitored his interactions with others to ensure he engaged with people and he also felt loved. However, none of their actions worked.
"I've got to give credit to the family. They made every effort that they felt that they reasonably could," the police chief noted.
After he opened fire, investigators found a notebook and a handwritten note left in the gunman's car that revealed his motives.
"I don't have any friends. I don't have any family. I've never had a girlfriend. I've never had a social life. I've been an isolated loner my entire life. This was the perfect storm for a mass shooter," Harris wrote in the note, according to Sack.
According to CBS News, the shooter's family is heartbroken about what happened to him. Harris targeted his old school for his rampage and forced several students to escape via the windows.
He shot and killed two people and wounded seven other teenagers. Health teacher Jean Kuczka reportedly died while trying to save her students and has been hailed a "hero."
Father of Victim of St. Louis School Shooting in Disbelief About His Daughter's Death
Andre Bell, the father of 15-year-old Alexzandria Bell, talked to NBC affiliate KSDK and described the incident as a "nightmare."
"My daughter's mother called me and that's how I found out. I didn't initially think the call was real," Bell said. Andre lived in Los Angeles while his daughter was in St. Louis, Missouri. He said Alexzandria was his everything.
The grieving father described her as a "joyful, wonderful, and just a great person." He said her daughter also had an "outgoing personality, loved to dance, and was a member of her high school's junior varsity dance team."
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Rick Martin
WATCH: Missouri Police Reveal New Information on St. Louis School Shooting Suspect - From ABC News
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