Kansas High-School Shooting Leaves Three Injured

  • By Matt Jones
  • March 04, 2022

A student at Olathe East High School in Olathe, Kan., opened fire at school on Friday, March 4, injuring a school administrator and a school resource officer. Local news reports that the suspect was shot, injured and taken into custody.

Olathe Police Department spokesman Sgt. Joel Yeldell told the media that the situation was no longer an active threat. He said it was his understanding that the suspect was a student at the school but provided no further details about his identity. CNN reports that when asked if the school resource officer shot the suspect, he replied, “Yes, that’s my understanding.”

"I did hear just shortly before we started that our officer is fine. He's talking to people at the hospital,” Yeldell said. "Our administrator is also in stable condition and, I believe, expected to survive, as well as the suspect that's in custody."

Police received a call of shots fired at about 10:30 a.m. CT. Yeldell said that it appeared as though the school administration had “contacted” the suspect in the school’s office before the school administrator was shot. Yeldell said he had no information about the cause of the shooting, the weapon used or the number of shots fired. He said authorities would release more details as they became known.

A video circulating on social media that showed an individual holding a rifle and entering the school was confirmed to be of a responding Olathe police officer, the police department tweeted on Friday afternoon.

"We had an SRO, it sounds like, that did his job, so that's great news and the injuries are expected to be survivable," Yeldell said.

Olathe East High School has about 2,000 students and is located about 30 minutes southwest of Kansas City.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning and Campus Security and Life Safety. He can be reached at [email protected]

Featured

  • Electrified Latch Retraction Locks Key Benefits for Retrofits

    Building owners and facility managers increasingly rely on electrified hardware to enhance security while meeting accessibility standards. Among these technologies, electrified or motorized latch retraction locks are especially effective for retrofit projects where existing door and frame conditions complicate upgrades. Latch retraction capable locks combine security, accessibility and code compliance benefits, making them ideal for retrofitting fire-rated and non-rated openings in schools, healthcare facilities, commercial buildings and more. Read Now

  • How Cloud Security Solutions Are Transforming Campus Safety

    Campus administrators today face a challenging mandate: deliver stronger security across their facilities while working within tighter budget constraints. From school districts focused on student safety to hospitals protecting patients and staff, the question remains the same: how do you build security infrastructure that evolves with your needs without requiring massive capital investments? Read Now

  • Rethinking Campus Security From the Inside

    For decades, campus security strategies focused on keeping threats outside school walls. But since the tragedy at Columbine High School, data has shown that many attacks begin inside the building, often in classrooms and corridors. This shift has prompted schools to rethink security from the inside and place greater emphasis on interior elements such as classroom doors. This shift is evidenced by a new generation of classroom door systems engineered to delay inside intruders and an ASTM standard that raises the bar on how these systems must be designed to defend against attack. Read Now

  • AI in Security: Advancing Campus Safety and Considerations for Implementing

    Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to capture attention across every sector, and the physical security industry is no exception. Once seen as experimental, AI-enabled analytics now underpin how organizations monitor environments, detect threats, and make decisions. What was once futuristic is now a practical necessity for safety professionals managing growing volumes of data, tighter resources, and increasing expectations for faster, more accurate responses. Read Now

Most   Popular