RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — The tragedy in Minneapolis now shines a light on school safety practices in the Triangle.
At least two children are dead, and more than a dozen are injured after a shooter fired shots through the windows of a church at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on Wednesday morning.
Local Catholic community reacts
Jaclyn Pine has a daughter at the Cathedral School at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Raleigh. She almost picked her daughter up from school on Wednesday after hearing about the shooting in Minneapolis.
“I was two seconds away from waking up my daughter from her nap and coming down here. It’s nerve-racking,” she said. “Everybody is in their first week of school. It’s the first week of school. It should’ve never happened.”
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Bishop Luis Zarama of the Catholic Diocese of Raleigh spoke about the tragedy.
“This morning, I heard the terrible news from Minnesota just as I finished celebrating a joy-filled Mass at a school within our own diocese. Our prayers are with all of those affected. And may God help us to always persevere in His love, especially when we are faced with senseless tragedies such as this,” he said in a statement.
Holy Infant Church in Durham reacted to the Minnesota shooting on Wednesday afternoon.
“We are heartbroken by the tragic events in Minnesota. As students gathered for Mass, a place meant to be filled with peace and joy, their community was instead shaken by violence,” the church said in a statement. “We lift in prayer all those who were harmed, the families and loved ones affected, and the entire Minneapolis community in our prayers. May God’s love bring comfort to those who grieve and strength to those who carry the heavy burden of this tragedy. We also pray for peace within the community as they move forward, asking God to heal broken hearts and guide us all in His mercy.”
Pope Leo XIV also reacted to news of the tragedy.
According to the Vatican News, the Pontiff expressed “his heartfelt condolences and the assurance of spiritual closeness to all those affected by this terrible tragedy, especially the families now grieving the loss of a child.”
A warning about school safety
“We can pray a lot, but we should also do something about it,” said Pline.
Data from the Gun Violence Archive shows how many guns were found in Wake and Durham county grade schools during the last three years.
No one was injured in these incidents.
The Wake County Public School System reported eight guns found last year, while Durham Public Schools had three.
Dr. Roy Taylor is a police procedure expert and says schools should take the time now to reevaluate their safety procedures.
“It’s good to be proactive, have these plans in place, practice, and then communicate with the parents,” he said. “I think the school system should be proactive and do drills.”
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He said schools should have at least two programs in place.
“I hope they react by implementing a behavior health and behavior threat assessment program,” said Taylor.
He also says parents should ask their school district about safety protocols in place.
“Is there a tip app or email address that they should use if something like that comes to their attention?” he said. “They may see something on a Facebook or other social media platform.”
Scarlett Hollingsworth from North Carolina Moms Demand Action says state lawmakers need to take proactive steps to protect students.
“Safer storage, more training, we want more resources for our students, more mental health,” said Hollingsworth. “Instead of just having the teachers have to basically be the barriers between gun violence and their students.”
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