After the shooting at Central Visual and Performing Arts high school in St. Louis, leaders both statewide and nationally responded to the event.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre addressed the shooting in a press briefing Monday afternoon.
“Everyday that the Senate fails to send an assault weapons ban to the President's desk, or waits to take other common sense actions, is a day too late for a family and communities impacted by gun violence,” she said.
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones said in a press conference, “My heart and prayers go out to the families again. And I want to thank the school district again and our first responders for running towards danger to save our children, to save our staff, and students. Thank you.”
Congresswoman Cori Bush also thanked first responders, and said, “Today is a day that every parent, teacher, student, and community member prays never comes. St. Louis has become the latest city and school district to endure our country’s horrific trend of gun violence in our schools. Heartbreak doesn’t even begin to capture the pain that I feel for my community right now.”
Police are still not releasing information about the shooter’s identity, what his relation to the school is, or how he got past the locked doors.
Education Week reports that as of October 5, there had been 35 school shootings in 2022. That’s the highest number since EdWeek began tracking in 2018. In 2021, there were 34 school shootings by the end of the year.
Between January of 2009 and May of 2018, schools in the United States saw 288 school shootings, the highest in the world. The country with the next most is Mexico, which saw eight school shootings in that same time period.
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