Rifle used in the St. Louis school shooting had been taken from the gunman days before the attack, police say - CNN

CNN  — 

The AR-15-style firearm utilized successful the deadly St. Louis schoolhouse shooting had been taken from the shooter’s possession during an enactment with constabulary astir a week earlier the attack, and it’s unclear however helium got it back, constabulary say.

The gunman, 19-year-old Orlando Harris, opened occurrence connected Monday, killing student Alexandria Bell, 15, and teacher Jean Kuczka, 61, and wounding respective others astatine the Central Visual and Performing Arts High School. Harris aboriginal died astatine a infirmary aft a weapon conflict with officers astatine the school.

Before the shooting, his household had contacted St. Louis constabulary to have a firearm taken distant from him, St. Louis Police Commissioner Michael Sack said astatine a quality league Wednesday. “The parent astatine the clip wanted it retired of the house,” helium added.

Police responded to a home disturbance astatine the family’s location connected October 15 – conscionable 9 days earlier Monday’s shooting, according to a Wednesday nighttime constabulary statement.

“Officers responded and determined astatine that clip the fishy was lawfully permitted to person the firearm,” the connection obtained by CNN affiliate KMOV reads. “A 3rd enactment known to the household was contacted and took possession of the firearm truthful that it would nary longer beryllium stored successful the home.”

Police connected Wednesday nighttime confirmed that the weapon removed from the location that time was the firearm that was utilized successful the schoolhouse shooting.

“How helium acquired it aft that … we don’t know,” Sack said. “We’re looking into that.”

The firearm has a serial fig connected it, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is moving to hint it, Sack said.

The teen’s household had been acrophobic astir him. In summation to trying to person the firearm taken away, they also had him enactment astatine a intelligence wellness institution, searched his room, tracked what helium got successful the mail, and tried to marque definite helium was engaging with radical and felt loved, Sack said.

“They made each effort that they felt that they reasonably could,” Sack said. “I deliberation that’s wherefore the parent is truthful heartbroken implicit the families that paid for his episode.”

The gunman, who graduated from the aforesaid schoolhouse past year, “forced introduction into the school” with the firearm and a ample magnitude of ammunition, immoderate of it strapped to his chest, Sack said.

The shooting near the gathering riddled with bullets and turned an mean Monday astatine the schoolhouse into 1 wherever frightened students and teachers locked their doors, huddled successful corners, and jumped retired of windows to prevention their lives arsenic the dependable of gunshots echoed done their hallways.

After the attack, FBI investigators recovered a letter and a notebook successful the car Harris utilized to thrust to the school.

“The schoolhouse was the target,” Sack said. “There was a disconnect betwixt him and what helium felt was the different schoolhouse community. He felt isolated and alone.”

There were 7 information unit astatine the schoolhouse erstwhile the gunman arrived, but the shooter did not participate done a checkpoint wherever information guards were stationed, said DeAndre Davis, manager of information and information for Saint Louis Public Schools.

“He did person to unit introduction and that’s bully for america due to the fact that that buys america time,” Sack said Wednesday.

Officers were astatine the schools 4 minutes aft the progressive shooter was reported, and were confronting the gunman 8 minutes aft that, according to Sack.

The constabulary commissioner has repeatedly credited the speedy constabulary response, locked doors and anterior grooming for preventing much deaths.

Authorities person besides thanked students for pursuing their teachers’ instructions and locking their doors aft they were alerted to the menace connected campus.

“We’ve had teenagers and athletes – they don’t ever perceive – but connected Monday they definite did,” Sack said. “They did what their teachers instructed them to do, they bash what the officers instructed them to do, contempt the information that you tin spot that galore of them were traumatized. You tin spot their faces, you tin work successful their eyes.”

Students and teachers rushed to fastener and barricade schoolroom doors aft proceeding a coded connection broadcast implicit the intercom.

The gunman managed to marque it into Jean Kuczka’s Health classroom, wherever she and her students were huddled.

Student Keyshawn Brooks told CNN affiliate KSDK helium saw the shooter unit his mode into his schoolroom and sprout his teacher.

“They had changeable our schoolroom doorway down and a antheral opened the doorway and helium was like, ‘Y’all are going to dice today,’” Brooks said.

“He changeable the teacher first. She fell to the floor. Another lad got changeable successful the manus and helium was bleeding. Two different girls got shot,” Brooks said. “When helium near the room, we opened the model and we jumped out.”

Student Alex Macias described looking the gunman successful the eyes aft Kuczka was shot.

“He did sprout Mrs. Kuczka, and I conscionable closed my eyes,” she said. “I didn’t truly privation to spot thing else. But past arsenic I thought helium was leaving, I opened my eyes to spot him lasting determination making oculus interaction with me. And past aft helium made oculus contact, helium conscionable left.”

Students past began jumping retired of the window, she said.

Teacher Kristie Faulstich said that Kuczka died putting herself betwixt the gunman and the students. She described her erstwhile workfellow arsenic a fashionable teacher who was loved by many.

Authorities are looking into making it harder to participate the classrooms, the constabulary commissioner said.

As the probe continues and students and teachers mourn Kuczka and Bell, it marque instrumentality 2 months earlier they’re allowed backmost connected campus, schoolhouse officials person said.