Teen Was ‘Only’ Shooting at the School, Not at the Students

For the second time in three days, Manual High School (as opposed to Automatic High School) in Peoria, Illinois, found itself under lockdown because of gunfire. On Friday afternoon, police say a 15-year-old boy, who had been suspended from school earlier that very day, returned to the property with a gun and fired multiple rounds at the building.

No students or staff were hit, but the building wasn’t so lucky. It sustained damage from the gunfire, and the incident threw parents, students, and staff into a fresh wave of fear. This followed a Wednesday shooting, just two blocks from the school, when a 15-year-old girl was grazed by a bullet while walking away after an early dismissal.

The Peoria Police Chief praised the quick response of officers already in the area. Within minutes of the shots being fired, the teen was taken into custody after a short chase. A discarded firearm and other evidence were recovered along his path. The boy is now facing a laundry list of charges, including aggravated discharge of a firearm, criminal damage to property, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, underage possession of a handgun and ammunition, and resisting arrest. He’s being held in the Peoria County Juvenile Detention Center.

Authorities stressed that the boy wasn’t aiming at people, just the structure. I’m sorry, but you can’t do one without doing the other. Firing a gun at a school filled with kids and teachers isn’t just “property damage.” That’s like setting a house on fire while people are still inside and claiming you didn’t mean to hurt anyone, you just wanted to burn the building. Bullets don’t discriminate between brick, glass, or flesh. Once you pull the trigger, you’ve crossed the line into putting lives at risk.

And, again, that brings us to the bigger question. How does a 15-year-old get a gun this easily? It’s not like he went to Cabela’s after his suspension and picked one up on the way home. Somebody, whether it’s family, friends, or the black market, put that firearm in his hands. Until state and local governments get serious about answering that question, students will keep trying to learn under the shadow of violence.

Peoria Police say they’ll keep a stronger presence around the schools, and that may keep things calm for now. But officers standing guard after the fact doesn’t address the real problem of the pipeline that puts guns into the hands of kids who are still too young to drive.

(Sources)