BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. — An 18-year-old gunman killed 19 students and two school employees at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde Thursday before an armed Border Patrol officer ended his life.
Morgan County Sheriff KC Bohrer says in the last three decades there has been a rise in school-related shootings:
The incident has renewed calls for stricter background checks and gun control:
Bohrer says mental health is a major factor in these crimes:
Sheriff Bohrer says West Virginia needs to have laws that allow for those who might endanger others to be taken to treatment. He says there need to be more mental health facilities close to the Eastern Panhandle.
Bohrer says when a person needs to be committed because of mental health issues, current procedure in West Virginia has law enforcement taking custody of the person, which looks like an arrest. He says at that point, deputies from the Eastern Panhandle may be driving a patient six to eight hours to get care.
He also says it is important for citizens to speak up and let police know if they think someone might endanger the lives of others.
Officials say the shooter bought two rifles on his 18th birthday a few days ago and posted pictures of them online. His Instagram account was deleted after he was killed. He attended the high school in Uvalde, which is about 90 minutes from San Antonio, and quit his job at a Wendy’s a month ago. Police say he also shot his grandmother before the massacre. She was airlifted to a hospital in critical condition.
Sheriff Bohrer was a guest on Wednesday’s Panhandle Live, which can be heard on the Panhandle Live Spotify and via Facebook.
