Dakota Dady

An Olathe Northwest student was arrested after a loaded gun was found in their backpack and students were put under lockdown after police were called to a nearby neighborhood for a suspected murder-suicide, making gun violence even closer to home.
On Feb. 23, administrators at Olathe Northwest took action after a report was made.
“Immediately upon being notified, our School Resource Officer went to remove the student from the cafeteria and further investigate, following the district’s safety protocols,” Northwest Principal Chris Zuck said.
According to Fox 4 News, this student is now facing charges, and whether or not this student will be charged as an adult will be decided further down the road.
“The 16-year-old has been charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, juvenile in possession of a firearm, interference with a law enforcement officer, and possession of marijuana,” reporters for Fox 4 Makenzie Koch and Malik Jackson said.
A similar situation occurred in March 2022 at Olathe East when admin brought down a student after the school counselor was told that a student was afraid that someone had a gun. This student refused to get his backpack searched and fired his gun.
“Elmore, who was hospitalized in critical condition for an extended period of time after the shooting, was charged with attempted capital murder, felony possession of a firearm and two counts of criminal use of a weapon,” Koch and Jackson said.
Students were also sent into lockdown after police responded to a disturbance involving weapons in a nearby neighborhood around 2:40 on March 1.
“Officials at Olathe South High School and Indian Trail Middle School said they were made aware of the incident around 3 p.m. and were placed on restricted instruction. About 20 minutes later, they were notified with the all-clear from police,” KCTV 5 reporter Sarah Motter said.
Police confirmed that two family members were involved in the situation and no further information has been released. This case is still under further investigation.
“When first responders arrived, they said they found an adult female with an apparent gunshot wound who was pronounced deceased at the scene. An adult male was also found deceased at the scene with another apparent gunshot wound,” Motter said.
Gun violence in the state of Kansas continues to increase year after year, with a 48% increase of gun deaths from 2011 to 2020, compared to a 33% increase nationwide.
“In an average year, 434 people die and 655 are wounded by guns in Kansas. Kansas has the 21st highest rate of gun violence in the US,” EveryStat.org said.
Kansas Reflector explains that deaths of children at the fault of guns has nearly doubled in the last 5 years.
“In 2021, more children died from firearms than in car accidents, with 38 motor vehicle deaths and 44 firearm deaths respectively,” reporter Rachel Mipro said.
After the Chiefs parade shooting following their superbowl win that killed a johnson county woman and injured many others, Gov. Laura Kelly gave a lecture expressing her horrified feelings about gun violence in Kansas.
“‘Prevalence of gun violence has invaded our schools, our campuses, our entertainment venues, our workplaces and our homes,’” Kansas Reflector reporter Tim Carpenter said. “‘I look forward to the day when we can have open, honest discussions about the cause and work towards a safer society for all of us.’”