ST. LOUIS — Manfret McGhee's teenage son began inspiring him with his strength as soon as he woke up from anesthesia.
It was less than 12 hours after his son, 16-year-old Anthony McGhee, got shot in the back of one of his legs when a former student at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School opened fire in the teen’s classroom on Oct. 24, 2022.
“The doctor said that he needed to walk, and he immediately got up and started walking around the hallways of the hospital,” Manfret recalled. “I told him that just was so inspiring to me because it showed me his will, his determination to rise from where he was and try to even move forward from that point.”
Tuesday will mark a year since that moment.
“What happened seems like it happened yesterday,” Manfret said.
Though his son isn’t ready to talk about his experience publicly, Manfret shared his and his son’s story of survival hoping his son’s strength will inspire other victims of trauma to find theirs. It’s what helps him move forward from the trauma he experienced inside the building that day, serving as the Dean of Students at the school.
McGhee spoke to 5 On Your Side just 20 minutes after his son got out of surgery last year, to thank police officers and the school’s security staff for a swift response that ended the bloodshed before more lives were lost. He recalled the moment he faced the shooter – a man he once knew as a student.
"I stepped into the hallway to find out a little more about what was going on and at that moment the shooter was in the hallway and fired a shot at myself and another coworker," Manfret told 5 On Your Side that night.
Manfret's son got shot at the same time as his favorite teacher, Jean Kuczka. Manfret said his son was one of Kuczka’s favorites, too.
“She would take Anthony with her on field trips at the school when it wasn't his field trip,” he recalled, a smile coming to his face.
She did not survive. Neither did student Alexandria Bell.
Police killed the shooter, 19-year-old Orlando Harris, a CVPA graduate.
“It's hard for me not to have some sense of emotion and sadness at the fact that one of my former students ended up doing something so horrible and horrific as well as lost his life,” Manfret said. “As bad as I hate it that this happened, the reality is that all of the lives that were lost in this situation is horrible and horrific.
“And I feel for his mother. I do.”
Had the bullet struck his son one inch from where it did in either direction, doctors told Manfret the outcome might not have been so favorable. He had two surgeries to repair the damage.
“To be to be shot, to see one of his favorite teachers be shot, to help people get out of the room after it, to come look for me after, he experienced some trauma on different levels,” Manfret said.
The building where McGhee has worked for the past 13 years reopened in January – about three months after the shooting. The McGhees walked back in together – after Anthony expressed some reservations about going back.
“What I did say to him was, ‘Just try it and see what happens,’” McGhee said.
It ended up being good for both of them.
“It allows us not to be fearful of what had transpired,” McGhee said.
Still, father and son have their moments, like the time someone used a jackhammer outside of the school during a street repair project.
“That was a trigger for Anthony to hear unexpected loud pops because it mimics gunfire,” Manfret said.
Fire drills can trigger trauma, too.
“The fire alarm was pulled that day,” Manfret explained.
Now, fire drills must be announced ahead of time.
“When you prepare the students for it, it allows them to adjust their mindset to know what's going to happen,” he said.
Since then, father and son have found new ways to bond.
“We’ve engaged in a lot of retail therapy,” Manfret said, a smile returning to his face.
They’ve traveled across the country, visiting outlet malls together and spending time talking together during their long drives.
Kuczka’s family has also helped Anthony's grieving process.
The teen, along with several other students and staff who were close to Jean Kuczka were honored guests at her daughter’s wedding this past weekend.
“I’m glad he went,” Manfret said.
One of the best resources father and son have found is the Bullet Related Injury Clinic, or BRIC. It’s run by a former Barnes Jewish Hospital trauma surgeon Dr. L.J. Punch. The center offers both physical and mental health resources.
The father and son plan to spend the one-year anniversary at a healing event planned at the clinic.
Manfret knows how intertwined his recovery from the trauma is with his son’s.
“As long as he's okay, I'll be okay,” Manfret said. “I mean, I have my moments.
“But after every storm, sometimes you have to clean up after the storms. You remember the storms, but you can't stay where you are. You got to push forward.”
And, he says, find the strength to get up – just like his son did.
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