FBI background check blocked gun sales to shooter in St. Louis

st.Lewis – A 19-year-old gunman broke into a St. Louis school and killed two AR-15 style rifle From a private seller after an FBI background check stopped him from purchasing weapons from a licensed dealer, police said.

Orlando Harris attempted to purchase a firearm from a licensed dealer near St. Charles, Missouri, on Oct. 8, St. Louis police said in a news release Thursday night. “We have successfully blocked this sale,” he said at a ground check, but did not give a reason why the sale was blocked. A message asking for comment was not immediately returned.

Harris then purchased the rifle that was used in School shooting at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School on Monday From a private seller who bought it legally in 2020, police said.

In a release, police noted that Missouri does not have red flag laws designed to keep firearms away from people who might pose a danger to themselves or others. “Did not have express authority to temporarily seize the rifle when dispatched to the suspect’s home on 10/15/22 when called by the suspect’s mother.”

Police on Wednesday said Harris’ mother called police on the night of Oct. 15 after finding the gun and asking for it to be removed. The statement said someone known to her family was contacted and got it.

Somehow, Harris got the gun back. How that happened is under investigation.

Police responded within minutes after receiving a call Monday morning. Cops confronted and killed a gunman who left school last year.

Grade 10 Alexzandria Bell and teacher Jean Kuczka were killed in the attack, and seven people aged 15 and 16 were injured. None of the injuries are considered life-threatening.

Police believe Harris was on target. It is unclear if any of them were victims.

Police Commissioner Michael Sack said Harris’ mother was “heartbroken” by the shooting. She and other relatives have long dealt with Harris’ mental health problems, sometimes forcing him to commit rape. I checked his room frequently.

In a note left behind, Harris lamented his lonely life with no friends, family or girlfriend. His memo called it “the perfect storm for mass shooters.”

“Mental health is a difficult thing,” Sack said. “It’s hard to tell when someone is violent or acting out. Or if they’re just in pain, they might be depressed and self-harm.”

The Central Visual and Performing Arts shares a building with another magnet school, the Collegiate School of Medicine and Biosciences. There are 383 students in Central and 336 in College Eight.

The building was locked Monday morning and unarmed guards saw Harris trying to enter.

We arrived four minutes after calling 911, including the off-duty police. In the chaos with students, teachers and staff fleeing, officers asked some students where the shooter was. Eight minutes after he arrived, police found him on the third floor of Harris and barricaded him in a classroom. Police said when Harris shot the officers, they shot back and burst through the door.

The St. Louis shooting was the first school shooting with multiple fatalities since the incident. Gunmen Kill 19 Children and 2 Teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TexasIn May, according to a list of mass shootings compiled by Education Week.