Two staff members injured in Kansas school shooting, police say
Two school staff members were wounded Friday in a shooting at Kansas' Olathe East High School, police said. No students were injured in the shooting, and a suspect is now in custody, according to local authorities.
The Johnson County prosecutor's office announced Saturday that Jaylon Desean Elmore, 18, was charged with attempted capital murder, according to the Associated Press. His bond is set at $1 million and no first court appearance has been set.
The prosecutor's office didn't immediately respond Saturday to questions about whether Elmore has an attorney and none is listed for him in online court records. Online records show he has a previous conviction for aggravated robbery, AP reports.
The staff members, who are in stable condition, were identified by police as an administrator and a school resource officer. The sheriff's office identified the resource officer as Erik Clark, who has been a police officer for 15 years and a school resource officer for seven, according to a tweet from the office.
The incident began at approximately 10:38 a.m. local time when a school resource officer responded to the school's main office "in reference to an administrative matter involving an 18-year-old male student," the Olathe Police Department said in a Friday night statement. The student allegedly then "produced a handgun" and "shots were exchanged between the student and the School Resource Officer," police said.
The officer involved has been placed on paid administrative leave per standard procedure, police said.
Both the administrator and the resource officer are in stable condition, and are expected to survive, Olathe Police Sergeant Joel Yeldell said at a press conference earlier Friday. The suspect, who was also shot during the arrest, is also expected to survive.
"The good news is that no students were injured," Yeldell said. "We have a [school resource officer] it sounds like that did his job — so that's great news."
The scene at Olathe East was secured by police after the shooting, and students were later transported to reunification centers to meet with their guardians.
"Thank you to this amazing community for your continued patience and teamwork," Olathe Police said Friday. "Thank you to all of our law enforcement and school partners as well."
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly said that her office is in communication with law enforcement about the situation, saying "our thoughts are with the entire Olathe East High School community today."
