Yesterday we had a tragedy in our community - a shooting that took the lives of two teenage boys and left a third in critical condition. This happened near the high school while the students were at lunch. The victims were all students at Nicky's school. They were shot by a fourteen year old boy.
Fourteen.
I got a text from my mom around 11:00 yesterday morning. She had been driving home and passed through the crime scene right after it happened. The police hadn't even arrived yet. She said it looked like there had been a shooting by the high school and that there were bodies, and they were definitely kids.
My response to the situation was rather cerebral. I knew those involved were probably students from the school who left campus during lunch, and I knew the school would likely have activated a lockdown or shelter in place protocol, but I wasn't worried about the safety of my own child. I knew he wasn't involved, and my only concern was that he felt safe, and he did. I texted him to see what was happening at the school. He had been at lunch, and an announcement was made that the school was sheltering in place. Those in classrooms were to stay put, and those at lunch were directed to the auditorium where they spent the next couple of hours.
There were other schools in the area that also needed to shelter in place as the police apprehended the suspects. They took four into custody. By the end of the day, three were released and one, the shooter, was booked into juvenile detention. It was confirmed that all three victims were students from the high school. The suspects are from another school.*
All involved - the victims and the suspects - were 14 and 15 years old. Nicky's age. All their lives are completely altered now. This is a tragedy at any age, but it's especially heart wrenching that this happened among children. Sure, no 14 or 15 year old thinks of themselves as a child, but they are. They are children. One of the saddest things, to me personally, is that not only did the suspect shoot three individuals, but according to a witness, he also took the time to approach them and kick them in the head afterward. I know we as humans have the capacity to do terrible things, but it just makes me ache that such hatred and violence can exist in the heart of a child.
Nicky said the mood in the auditorium was pretty normal. Everyone was speculating and texting. The school didn't give a lot of information to the students, but news travels fast via technology. When the shelter in place protocol was lifted (just before 1:00), they dismissed school early. Nicky said when he came out of the auditorium, there had been a shift. The school was completely silent and sober. Students were hugging and many were crying. It was something he'd never experienced before. He'd been protected from it a bit in the mass crowd of the auditorium, but it hit suddenly and with great emotion when he came out into the halls of school.
The names of the victims were released later in the day. Nicky did not know them. Prayers are requested for the families of the boys whose lives were lost and for the boy who is in critical condition. This tragedy will weigh heavily on our community for a very long time.
While we were all processing this event yesterday, we received news that a much-loved member of our ward had passed away. I've known her since I was eight years old, and her passing was quick and unexpected yesterday afternoon.
The losses in our community are great today. As always, there are no words to resolve the grief that everyone is experiencing, but I wanted to pause and acknowledge what has happened and pay respect to those who left this life too soon.
*A week after the shooting, police confirmed that the suspects actually attend our high school.
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