Classes cancelled in some schools in the St. Louis area after deadly shooting
ST. LOUIS – Some schools in the St. Louis area have cancelled or modified classes Tuesday, one day after a deadly school shooting in south St. Louis.
A gunman killed two people Monday morning in a shooting at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in south city. Police later shot and killed the gunman.
KIPP, a charter school system of St. Louis, says it has closed schools Tuesday “in an abundance of caution.” There is no in-person or virtual instruction for students. Staff members are using the day for security training.
The decision comes as the district says it’s investigating threats to school in the St. Louis community. At this time, police working with the school district have not deemed the threats credible.
“We are aware of the situation and are monitoring developments related to it, as well as updates from local law enforcement. Our security team does not believe any of these threats to be credible, but we still want to operate with caution.”
Central Visual and Performing Arts High School has cancelled classes on Tuesday. All other schools in the St. Louis Public Schools District are open.
“Counseling is underway and will continue as we avail ourselves of additional resources so generously offered by our medical, mental health and school district communities,” said the school in a statement on the decision late Monday night.
Amid these decisions, the FBI division of St. Louis is warning people against hoax threats involving guns, which are considered federal crimes.
In a news conference Monday, the FBI says, since the shooting, “Since this happened this morning, we have received an uptick in additional allegations of potential school shooters around here. Any hoax or any joke that they’re sending about a school shooting right now will be taken very seriously.”
Other school systems, such as the Hazelwood School District, have noted that officials are investigating threats along with law enforcement, though have not announced any changes to school schedules on Tuesday.
During the shooting Monday morning, the gunman killed two and injured seven in the incident. Many students, teachers, and staff ran out of the school seeking safety as the gunman opened fire inside.
The police were able to locate the 19-year-old gunman, Orlando Harris, and both parties exchanged gunfire. Harris was shot and taken to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Harris was a graduate of CVPA and had no prior criminal history, according to the police.