In note, St. Louis gunman describes his life as 'perfect storm' for mass shooting

Students waiting outside S. Louis high school.
(Image credit: TIM VIZER/AFP via Getty Images)

The suspect in a Monday shooting at a St. Louis high school was carrying an AR-15-style rifle and what looked to be more than 600 rounds of ammunition, The Associated Press reported Tuesday, per Police Commissioner Michael Sack. Both a teacher — physical education teacher Jean Kuczka — and a 15-year-old girl — Alexzandria Bell — were killed in the attack; seven students were injured, all of which are said to be in stable condition.

The gunman, 19-year-old Orlando Harris, left behind a note that read, in part, "I don't have any friends, I don't have any family. I've never had a girlfriend. I've never had a social life. I've been an isolated loner my entire life. This was the perfect storm for a mass shooter," per the St Louis Post-Dispatch. Police found the note in the gunman's car.

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Brigid Kennedy

Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.