The Safety of our Schools and Community

In the early hours of September 13th, a student enrolled at Freeman High School in Spokane brought “multiple weapons” to school and began firing. The shooter, identified as sophomore Caleb Sharpe, left one dead and three wounded.

Court documents stated that Sharpe came to school with both a rifle and a pistol. Sharpe snuck the rifle into the school inside a large duffle bag, the pistol hidden in his coat pocket.

The official report states that Sharpe immediately went to the second floor of the school upon arrival. There, he attempted to load the rifle, identified as an AR-15 by Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich of Spokane County. In the midst of loading the weapon, it jammed, and Sharpe quickly took out the pistol. At this moment, Sharpe was confronted by fellow student, Sam Strahan.

According to Sheriff Knezovich, Strahan confronted Sharpe and tried to stop him. This is when Sharpe shot Strahan in the abdomen and then in the face, killing him.

Following this encounter, Sharpe repeatedly shot in the hallway and wounded three others.

“It would be so scary,” stated Century High School Junior Jenny Taylor. “[I’d] run as fast as possible.”

Eventually Sharpe surrendered to a school janitor and was detained by a resource officer from a middle school who responded to the call. Sharpe is now in police custody.

"Thank God that he jammed that AR-15 up so badly that it was not going to function,” stated Sheriff Knezovich. This fluke saved many lives.

Since the shooting, an unidentified friend of Sharpe’s told detectives that he bragged about owning multiple pistols, all of which were bought by his father. Sharpe even went as far as posting YouTube videos of himself firing the guns.

Students have also reported that Sharpe brought notes to school earlier in the year claiming that he was “going to do something stupid.” The notes even mentioned him going to jail or being killed.

On September 14th, the court released Sharpe’s motive. They state that Sharpe had been bullied and wanted to teach people “a lesson.” The report also states that Strahan was the source of the bullying and led Sharpe to seek help from his counselor for suicidal thoughts.

On October 1st, the largest mass shooting in United States history occurred in Las Vegas, Nevada. The shooting occurred during an outdoor country music festival on the strip, near the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.The shooting followed Jason Alden’s performance, lasting from 10:08pm till 10:19pm.

According to the New York Times, the death toll now stands at 58, while over 500 are injured. Most of the fatalities died on scene.

The shooter has been identified as Stephen Paddock, a 64 year old male. He was found dead in his hotel room on the 32nd floor.

According to Jill Snyder, a special agent in charge for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, at least 23 weapons and hundreds of ammunition were found in his hotel room. Two of the rifles had scopes and were on tripods positioned in front of his window, allowing him to shoot upon the crowd of 22’000.

In total, investigators have recovered 47 rifles from the hotel and his two properties. 12 rifles were modified with a “bump stock” to convert them from semi automatic to fully automatic, allowing him to fire hundreds of rounds per minute.

The weapons were purchased in California, Nevada, Texas, and Utah. His lack of criminal record allowed this to be possible.

President Trump commented and called this “an act of pure evil.”

As of Tuesday, October 3rd, all but three victims had been identified. The victims include an Oregon woman named Darien Anderson and Simi Valley Unified School District manager Susan Smith.

The motive for this massacre is still unclear.

These types of events raise questions about the safety of schools and their communities. Sharpe walked unimpeded into his school and Paddock brought multiple weapons into his hotel unquestioned.

According to Century High School’s Handbook, a “lockdown” will occur if there is a potential threat inside the building. It states, “[a lockdown drill requires that] all rooms housing staff and students be secured from entry to exit. Students and staff remain in locked classrooms or secured areas until an ‘all clear’ is called. All exterior doors are secured.”

The “lockout” drill, which secures the inside of the school, is similar. A “lockout” occurs when there is a threat outside of the school. All of the buildings entrances are secured. During a “lockout” classes continue as normal, with the exception of outside activities being cancelled.

Mark Sterk, Spokane Public School’s Director of Security, stated, “Our main defense against an active shooter is for resource officers in schools and staff to have built relationships with kids to the extent that they feel a level of trust.”

Century High School contains both security cameras and doors that automatically lock in case of an emergency.

If the Hillsboro School District bond passes in November, Century will be equipped with interior door locks, strobes for visual warnings both inside and outside, additional security cameras, card key access only for exterior doors, alarms for the exterior doors, an alert button at the front desk (for panic and to close fire doors), glass film at the main door, and an upgrade in radio communication and communication capability.

Both of these events have raised the question of gun control and laws, a topic of debate in the government.

At the Century High School level, the knowledge possessed by students is really important. It is imperative that we report any suspicious individuals and activities. Keeping our school and community safe is of utmost importance.