NEW YORK -- Two students were
shot inside Martin Luther King Jr. High School in Manhattan
today,
forcing officials to lock down the building on the nonviolent activist's
birthday.
Police
entering Martin Luther King Jr. High School after school
shooting on January 15, 2001
Tuesday, January 15, 2002
Two students are in serious condition after being gunned down in the
hallway of their Manhattan, New York public school. The shooting on
Manhattan's Upper West Side occurred at Martin Luther King Jr. High School
on what would have been Dr. King’s 73rd birthday. The school has 3,000
students.
The suspected gunman was an 18-year-old who had not been attending
school (School
Safety Visitor Program). He opened fire in the hallway at the high school near Lincoln Center
on Tuesday, seriously wounding two fellow students in what may have been a
gang-related shooting, authorities say. He was arrested two blocks away,
police said. Chancellor Harold Levy said the shooting may have been
gang-related (Assessment
Team Model).
Seventeen year old senior, Romain Morrison, said, "We were in school
and we heard two gunshots. They were telling everyone to get out of the
hallways."
The victims, Andrel Napper, 17, and Andre Wilkins, 18, were shot from
behind in a fourth-floor hallway. One was shot in the back and the other in
the buttocks, and both were listed in serious condition. A .380-caliber
handgun was found on the fifth floor, authorities said. The Board of
Education reported the school has metal detectors and X-ray machines, but it
was not immediately known whether they were functioning (Crisis
Response Training & Plan).
Many students "figured out for themselves" to leave, but the
school was swiftly locked down and students kept in their classrooms as
police in riot gear swept the building. "They wanted us to be in the
room, locked up until they had things under control," said senior
Giorlys Alvarez, 17, who was locked in a classroom for more than an hour.
Teacher Octavia Melian said the school had previous problems with
students breaching security. She said students would pass through the metal
detectors, then open side doors for their friends to smuggle guns and other
items inside.
"It's been a constant concern with the faculty and the student
body," she said.
If you are concerned about policies, procedures or the security of your
school, go to Keys to Safer Schools.com’s website at https://keystosaferschools.com/criticaltraining.htm
to learn what training and services are available. There is never a good
time for school violence and there is never a bad time to start taking
positive steps to insure the safety of your students and faculty.