Two days after the Texas shooting, Bellaire High school resumed classes with heightened security. The ongoing investigation of the Texas shooting that happened in the school, revealed that the victim was the shooter's friend. The debate now has evolved to whether if the teen was committing a mistake or not.
Junior ROTC member Cesar Cortes, 19 was killed during the shooting by his friend who pulled the trigger inside the Reserve Officers' Training Corps classroom. The shooter was showing Cortes the semi-automatic handgun when the incident occurred. The 16-year-old shooter was caught hours later and charged with manslaughter. The gun was not recovered and the boy refused to talk.
Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said that Cortes and the boy were friends. Ogg said that they believe that this was an intentional act and based on the evidence it is not clear whether the shooter intended to kill Cortes.
Gun safety and precaution in school premises
The country has been battling gun safety since a very long time, with constant fear of an attack plaguing the students in the country. The district had cancelled classes on Wednesday but resumed on Thursday with increased security and patrolling teams making the rounds.
All backpacks and other bags are being searched as students enter the campus. Principal Michael McDonough of Bellaire High School wrote in an email obtained by KTRK-TV that the initial precautions have been taken and more 'sustainable long term' changes are being set to develop school safety.
Authorities are still searching for the gun and have asked the local people if they find any that matches the description and report to the police. The investigation continues on the young boy who has turned into a violent offender in the matter of few hours.
The boy's actions was seen as a collective loss by Ogg, who stated that the action whether intended or not has created a violent offender who was someone's son, friend and a student. Gun violence has resulted in several hundreds of deaths annually in the country. It has been an ongoing conversation about raising safety in the country.
