ST. LOUIS — A fatal shooting at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in St. Louis has left families in despair and a community riddled with grief.
A 15-year-old student, Alex Bell, and a 61-year-old teacher, Jean Kuczka, were killed Monday morning.
Many lives were diverted that day. That included VonDina Washington's son Brian, a student at CVPA.
Brian goes to school for visual arts and his mom said he can draw well.
"He is still alive. He was shot in both hands and has a bullet in his neck that missed his main artery," Washington said.
She said her son jumped out of a two-story window to save his life.
"He is still conscious, he is still talking, and he is still in his right mind. Thank you SLMPD, EMS and the staff at CVPA. But we bless God and just keep praying," she said.
On Tuesday morning, she said her son has a long road to recovery and asked for prayers for total restoration. He was released from the hospital Tuesday evening and will continue his road to recovery from home.
Washington said a GoFundMe has been started to help with the medical bill. She said they have insurance but the deductible on this will be expensive.
"We want to see Brian fully recovered, able to use his hands to create beautiful artwork, bake his signature cheesecakes, and make good use of his gaming chair," the GoFundMe page said. "We want to see a full physical and emotional recovery from the unfathomable trauma he experienced."
Resources
As a result of the shooting, St. Louis-area students, teachers and parents may feel their mental health start to be affected, but they don't have to go through this alone.
There are several free resources available for those struggling.
For students, staff and families of CVPA, school counselors are available and will continue to avail themselves for as long as needed, according to St. Louis Public Schools.
For more information and resources, click here.