St. Louis school shooter obtained a gun after his family worked with police to have one removed from their home, officials say - NBC News

Months earlier a 19-year-old shooter opened occurrence Monday wrong a St. Louis precocious school, his household told constabulary helium had a gun, and had it removed from the home, officials said Wednesday.

The household was alert the gunman had intelligence wellness struggles and did “everything that they perchance could person done” to assistance him —including getting him therapy, medicine and committing him connected respective occasions — but “sometimes that’s not enough,” interim St. Louis Metropolitan Police Chief Michael Sack said during a quality conference.

The main did not disclose however the shooter acquired an AR-15-style firearm aft constabulary removed a limb months earlier the shooting astatine Central Visual and Performing Arts High School. He besides declined to sermon however the gunman entered the gathering contempt locked doors, information guards and metallic detectors astatine the school.

"Every gathering has weakneses," Sack said, adding that sharing the specifics of however the shooter entered the schoolhouse could adversely interaction the schoolhouse district.

However, helium said the gunman, Orlando Harris, 19, did marque a “forced entry” into the building.

A photograph of Alexzandria Bell sits among flowers and candles near arsenic a memorial to the victims of a schoolhouse shooting astatine Central Visual and Performing Arts High School connected Oct. 25, 2022, successful St. Louis. Bell and teacher Jean Kuczka were killed, on with the gunman, successful Monday's shooting.Robert Cohen / St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP

Shooter's parent wanted weapon 'out of the house'

The shooter's household was “aware” that helium had obtained the gun, though it's not wide precisely erstwhile helium did, the interim main said. An probe by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is underway to way the root of that weapon sale.

“[The family] worked with our section to transportation that to an big who could legally person one,” Sack said.

He said helium believes the firearm the household contacted constabulary astir whitethorn person been the aforesaid AR-15-style firearm helium utilized successful the schoolhouse shooting.

“[The family] contacted america and said helium had a firearm, I judge it could person perchance been this gun. The officers, successful their response, handed it implicit to idiosyncratic else, an big who was lawfully capable to person it," Sack said.

"The parent wanted it retired of the house, truthful they facilitated it, the enactment had it. How helium acquired it aft that, we don’t know. We’re looking into it," helium said.

It's not wide who the weapon was transferred to. Sack said the enactment with the gunman's household and constabulary apt took spot wrong the past fewer months, though helium didn't cognize the circumstantial date.

Family 'made each effort' to assistance shooter's intelligence health

The shooter's household has been cooperative with police, Sack said.

“The mother, the big daughter, they worked with him. They benignant of had a strategy wherever they would way what mightiness travel successful the mail, his enactment with others and try to marque definite that he’s engaging people, that helium feels loved,” helium said.

The shooter, who near down a enactment describing himself arsenic a loner and referred to wide shootings, died aft a gunfire speech with instrumentality enforcement.

Jean Kuczka, 61, a wellness teacher, and Alexzandria Bell, 15, a student, were killed successful the shooting, officials said.

“Mental wellness is simply a hard thing. It’s hard to archer erstwhile idiosyncratic is convulsive and going to enactment out,” Sack said. 

“I’ve got to springiness recognition to the family, they made each effort that they felt they reasonably could," helium continued. "That’s wherefore the parent is truthful heartbroken implicit the families that paid for his episode."