Mayor Ed Gainey addresses deadly shooting outside Oliver Citywide Academy
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Students at Oliver Citywide Academy will learn remotely today and tomorrow following a deadly shooting of a student outside of the school on Wednesday.
Another student, 15-year-old Jaymier Perry is charged with homicide.
Perry is accused of shooting and killing his classmate, 16-year-old Derrick Harris. Police say surveillance footage shows Perry shoot Harris several times, then punched and kicked him while he was on the ground.
Harris died at the hospital.
Police say the gun belonged to Perry's mother.
16 months before yesterday's deadly shooting, another Oliver student was gunned down while sitting in a school van. Last fall, police say a student sexually and physically assaulted a staff member. And in 2014, a 14-year-old girl was charged with intimidating staff members with a knife.
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All of these incidents have many questioning whether the school should be shut down.
Superintendent Dr. Wayne Walters says counselors will be available to those affected by yesterday's shooting.
Mayor Ed Gainey addressed the violence at the kickoff of his 'City in the Streets' event in Marshall-Shadeland.
After a violent day in the city, Mayor Gainey said that while homicides are down in the city, guns and access to guns remain an issue.
He took questions during the kickoff of the event last night that helps connect city residents and department leaders to address service requests.
Mayor Gainey said his administration is going to continue doing its part to address youth gun violence and keep kids engaged in non-violent activities.
"The common denominator in all of this is guns. If you flood the streets with guns what did you think the return was going to be" Gainey asked. "We created a youth civic engagement to make sure they're engaging with us. We've had interns in every office. I've had two. I'm going around to every school to talk to them."
Mayor Gainey said he believes access to guns is one of the main components fueling the issue and wants more accountability from gun manufacturers.
He was also asked about how recent shootings Downtown are impacting businesses and he says that restaurant sales are reportedly up and the Cultural District continues to see a steady stream of visitors attending shows and events.