Student shot, killed outside Oliver Citywide Academy; another student faces charges
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A 15-year-old student was shot and killed by another student near the front steps of Oliver Citywide Academy in Pittsburgh on Wednesday morning.
Officials said the victim is 15-year-old Derrick Harris while 15-year-old Jaymier Perry is in custody. Perry is facing homicide and gun charges. He is in the Allegheny County Jail.
Pittsburgh Police Commander Richard Ford said the shooting happened just before 7:30 a.m. as students made their way to school. They then received a ShotSpotter alert for at least 11 rounds fired.
Police said as they were helping the victim, they saw a juvenile running from the scene with a gun. He was then taken into custody. Ford said the victim was in critical condition at first but later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
"It's very frustrating," Ford said. "We worked really really hard. We worked with the schools. And we're going to continue to do that. Obviously, anytime there's a loss of life, it's a tragic situation. I am very relieved to know there is no danger to the public."
Students who were on the bus were driven to Manchester School to be reunited with their parents, or they were taken home. Only a few students were inside the school at the time of the shooting. One of those students is Armani Turner's son.
She said she was very concerned because she was not notified about the incident by the administration and was praying her 13-year-old was OK.
"Once I did speak to him, I was relieved, but I'm still nervous because my son is pretty active in sports and stuff so I get to know a lot of my son's friends," she said. "I just want to make sure that it's not someone he may know or that I may know of from people I went to school with because nobody wants to get that call."
Turner added that she worries the violence will get worse.
"I just want this to stop happening so frequently," Turner continued. "I just want parents to communicate with their kids. Know what's going on, know what your kid is into. And get them help if they need help so this doesn't keep reoccurring."
The school day was ultimately canceled, and the district said Friday that students will continue remote learning through June 5.
"This decision is made based on the needs of the school community and a potential in-person return will be reassessed as needed," the release said.
"Today, this student's safety was breached," Superintendent Wayne Walters said. "This is unacceptable."
Early last year, a student was shot and killed outside of the school. In September, police said a staff member was sexually and physically assaulted by a student. The district said it is trying to zero in on the reasoning behind the violence.
During a press conference Wednesday, there was no mention of what safety measures will be put into place moving forward, but officials said discussions about the future of the school will be had.
"We have a lot that we are thinking about," Walters said. "But we will be thinking about what is the future of Oliver Citywide Academy."
Hours after the shooting, Mayor Ed Gainey addressed the violence during a City in the Streets event.
"The common denominator in all of this is guns," he said. "If you flood the streets with guns, what did you think the return was going to be?"
He said his administration is going to continue to do its part to address youth gun violence and keep kids in non-violent activities.
"We created a youth civic engagement to make sure they're engaging with us," Gainey said. "We've had interns in every office. I've had two. I'm going around to every school to talk to them."
Pittsburgh Public Schools released a statement:
"This morning during arrival, a Pittsburgh Oliver Student was shot. After being transported to the hospital, the student later died due to injuries he received in the shooting. Our thoughts and prayers are with the student's family. Our schools are designed to be a safe place for teaching and learning. Today, that was not the case for a student who was on his way to school to get an education. Pittsburgh Oliver is currently closed, and all students have been transported to Pittsburgh Manchester for a safe reunification with their families. City and School Police are currently investigating the shooting. Out of respect for the student's family, we will not be providing any further comment on this unfortunate matter."
Gainey also released a statement which you can read in full below.
"Pittsburgh, please join me in prayer for the family, friends, and the entire Oliver Citywide Academy community as they are once again mourning a young life taken by gunfire. I'm proud of the quick response by our Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, who were on the scene within minutes and were able to apprehend the suspect. Thank you for your continued work in making Pittsburgh safe.
No child should ever have to fear going to school, and no parent should ever worry about their child never coming home. We are working with our Community Violence Intervention teams to provide help and support to students, and we will do all that we can to connect the family to support services.
As a society, we have to reclaim our children, and we have to begin putting our children first. We have cultivated a culture of violence and death, celebrated guns, and glorified shooting. We have failed as a country to stop the proliferation of guns, and it is far too easy for a young person to get those guns and retaliate in the way our culture has glorified it.
Pittsburgh, we can and must do better. We have to cultivate a new culture, create a new path forward for our kids, and we are committed to investing in our kids to provide them with hope for a better tomorrow and a future that doesn't end with bullets and gunfire.
If you want to be a part of our work to end violence in our city, join us. Call us. We are willing to work with everyone who wants to be a part of the solution."
Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, of Pennsylvania, posted to Twitter on Wednesday morning.
"Just when I tweeted about the Uvalde anniversary, I saw the news of a student shot outside Oliver Academy in Pittsburgh. Another child dead from senseless gun violence. We shouldn't have to live like this. My office is in touch with local officials and I will continue to monitor the situation closely."