As I promised, here is the post about the second school shooting that happened last week. The first one can be read about here. To top it all off, there has been another shooting this week that will hopefully be my next post.
Anyway, this past Friday, October 1st 2021, 25-year-old Dexter Harold Kelsey shot his way into YES Prep Southwest Secondary in Houston, Texas. Kelsey is a former student of the school who graduated in 2017. Armed with a rifle, Kelsey fired at the glass on the locked school doors in order to obtain access to the school. Kelsey quickly surrendered to police and has been charged with aggravated assault against a public servant and deadly conduct. He’s currently being held on a $5.25 million bond.
The school’s principal, 36-year-old Eric Espinosa, was shot in the back while trying to alert students and faculty. I don’t know if you can say Mr. Espinosa’s injuries were minor since he was shot in the back, but he was released from the hospital and is said to be recovering. However, the bullet that struck him is still in his back, according to one report. I can’t even imagine carrying something like that around with you.
It’s believed that Kelsey held a grudge against one of the teachers at the school. Let’s do the math. The suspect is a 25-year-old man who graduated from a school that tops out at 12th grade four years ago. While I’m not saying that anyone should be ashamed of getting their high school diploma at any age, the man is an adult. He should not be holding a high school grudge against a teacher from a school that he left years ago. That’s kid stuff. I haven’t seen any reports on if Kelsey has any kind of developmental issues or not. Kelsey did have a social media presence where he is said to have complained about past alleged incidents at the school.
Even if he did have developmental issues, that probably wouldn’t prohibit him from owning a gun. This is Texas, after all. While Kelsey is of legal age to purchase a firearm in Texas, I’d still be interested to learn where he got the gun. He probably was able to pick one up at the 7-11 on his way to the school. For a state that wants no new normal when it comes to COVID, they sure don’t mind the not so new normal of people being shot in schools.
Speaking of which, several students at the school recorded a number of videos from the shooting and posted them to TikTok, as you can see by the picture above. While potentially dangerous, this shows how complacent we’ve become as a society when it comes to school shootings. And the kids at these schools know this…
“This turned so common you don’t even see it in the news anymore,” commented @itsabetch.
“Why is this still happening man. It’s such a common thing that you barely see stuff like this trend anymore…” wrote @brianbpineda.
Yet, too many adults who are supposed to be preventing this kind of violence are trying to arm teachers who are untrained in the ways of defense. In my opinion, arming teachers just puts guns in closer range to would-be shooters. Not only that, but it could also lead to shoot-outs where innocents can be harmed in the name of ‘defense’.
- (Sources)
- Ex-Student Charged in Houston School Shooting That Injured One
- Former student charged with felonies after YES Prep Southwest shooting, principal wounded
- Suspect in Houston school shooting identified, charged
- Suspect in custody after Houston school shooting leaves 1 injured
- YES Prep Southwest Secondary student says principal saved them: ‘He took a shot for us’
- TikToks Show Aftermath of Houston School Shooting
- ‘Why is this still happening man’: Student film aftermath of school shooting in viral TikToks
Real Crime with Trench Reynolds 