First Alert 4 Investigates: CVPA school shooter’s never-before-seen writings raise concerns warning signs were overlooked

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - In his own words, the teen who carried out the deadly attack on a South City high school details his plan and discusses his mental health in writings uncovered by First Alert 4 Investigates. The writings are raising concerns that warning signs were overlooked.

On October 24, 2022, former student Orlando Harris, 19, shot his way into the shared campus of Central Visual and Performing Arts High School (CVPA) and the Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience, killing 15-year-old student Alexzandria Bell and health and PE teacher Jean Kuczka.

“Good or bad, she was meant to be there that day, and we know she saved lives,” said Kucka’s son, Joe Kuczka, remembering his mom’s final act of standing between the shooter and her students. “She told the students jump out of the window, get out of here away from the shooter.”

Nearly two years since the attack, both families said investigators gave them limited information about what happened. To date, no surveillance video or police body camera from the day of the shooting has been released.

Earlier this month, First Alert 4 Investigates exposed body camera video of police at the gunman’s house days before the shooting. First Alert 4 obtained the video through a public records request, which involved months of fighting challenges to release the records put up by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD).

The body camera video is from October 15, 2022, and shows officers who were called by the teen’s family asking them to confiscate the assault rifle he had recently bought.

“He bought this purposely; he had a vest,” Harris’ mom can be heard telling officers on the body camera.

SLMPD said Harris legally bought and possessed the gun so officers could not seize it. Nine days later, investigators said Harris used the same gun in the CVPA shooting.

“You want to own a firearm, you’re an American, you’re over 18, you’re allowed to have a firearm,” an officer tells Harris in the video.

Responding officers didn’t know that while they were at Harris’ house, he was already weeks into planning his attack on CVPA High School, according to the writings obtained by First Alert 4 Investigates.

“I think there’s a lot to be learned, good and bad, from this situation,” Joe Kuczka said. “What can we do differently to stop this from happening?”

The notebook Harris left behind includes 33 pages and many handwritten notes.

The first notebook entry is from August 24, two months before the attack, where the teen writes, “My target is CVPA high school.” The entry goes on to say, “My goal is to kill 30 people minimum, then commit suicide or die in a shoot-off with police.”

In the writings, the teen talks about driving past the school and how long it would take police to get there. Entries include a checklist of supplies with the first item on the list being an AR-15. There are also printed-out pages of floorplans of the high school with notes where Harris names specific classrooms and at least five teachers as targets. Jean Kuczka and Alexzandria Bell are not named.

“He clearly knew what he was doing,” Joe Kuczka said. “He knew how many bullets he had and how many people he could kill, and for some reason, his plan didn’t work.”

Investigators said Harris had a history of mental health struggles, which he writes about. On one page, he lists several diagnoses, and in several, he discusses how his “suicidal” and “homicidal thoughts” are “stronger than ever.

One entry reads, ”For me death is the only option, there is no other way. But before I die, I’m taking as many people with me as possible.”

Researcher David Riedman started the K-12 shooting database, which tracks attacks on schools nationwide. He has spent years studying shooters and their writings. First Alert 4 Investigates shared Harris’ writings with him.

“Leaving a written document like this around is a cry for help they’re hoping to be caught up until the moment it occurs,” Riedman said. “This manifesto encapsulates every possible thing that you should be on the lookout for ahead of a school shooting.”

When asked what stood out to him, Riedman responded, “All of the opportunities for intervention and all of the overt warnings that were missed.”

“Every single week, there was another opportunity for a professional to see the magnitude of the problem and take action long before he ever took a gun to school,” Riedman added.

One entry names eight psychiatrists Harris said treated him. There’s also printed pages of his medical records where he crossed out some parts but left others visible, which show a doctor talking about how Harris was suicidal and refusing care, so the doctor orders a 96-hour involuntary hospitalization.

Harris left notes on his medical records discussing how easy it was to lie and pretend to get better to get out of the hospital.

One entry dated days before the shooting reads, “I literally told 2 psychiatrists I was planning on shooting up my old high school.”

“Circled it in his manifesto a bunch of times,” Joe Kuczka said, referring to the passage. “What if he in fact did tell someone, what happened? Why wasn’t that reported?”

If Harris’ writing is true, in Missouri, psychiatrists have a legal duty to report a serious danger of violence.

One entry is from the day Harris tried to buy a gun from a gun show in St. Charles but failed an FBI background check. Reporting by First Alert 4 investigates uncovered this days after the shooting, but the writings show Harris was aware he’d fail the background check and “was not shocked.” Harris wrote about how he knew he’d be denied because he’s been “involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital twice.”

WARNING DISTURBING CONTENT: Click here to read the shooter’s documents

Federally licensed gun dealers are required to run background checks, but in Missouri, private sellers are not required to run background checks. Harris writes about how he bought the AR-15 from a private seller.

Among the new documents obtained by First Alert 4 Investigates is a letter from one of the shooter’s siblings, who was so concerned for his safety he wrote a letter asking for help and fearing Harris would kill them.

SLMPD Lt. Col. Michael Sack spoke to First Alert 4 Investigates in a recent exclusive interview. Sack was acting Chief of Police at the time of the CVPA shooting and is leading the department’s investigation into it.

When asked if police could have taken the gun, Sack responded, “No, they couldn’t have taken the gun, law wouldn’t allow that. They had no cause to take the firearm.”

Sack points to a Missouri law that would allow officers to seize a gun from a convicted felon, a fugitive, habitual drug user or habitually intoxicated person, or someone the court deems is “mentally incompetent.” By Missouri law, “mentally incompetent” means a person can’t make their own decisions.

Missouri doesn’t have red flag laws, which allow for quick seizures of guns if someone is at risk of hurting themselves or others.

“I think as a community, the city needs to work with state legislatures in regards to the statutes to see what’s the best way to protect the community, while still respecting people’s individual rights to purchase and possess firearms,” Sack said. “Are the laws as they currently stand sufficient to provide a reasonable level of protection to the community? If we have concerns over a particular person and their mental well-being what does that look like? What’s the threshold?”

First Alert 4 took those concerns to Governor Mike Parson who has a different take on the law. When asked if he thinks Missouri should be looking at red flag laws Parson answered, “I think we already have things in place for that. I haven’t seen the video so it’s not fair to comment on that whatever it is, but I think the laws are adequate at this point.”

First Alert 4 asked the Governor if he thinks something needs to change given the teen failed an FBI background check but was legally able to buy a gun from a private seller in Missouri.

“Well I think the biggest thing to change is evidently what I do know there was some mental health probably when you have mental health issues there’s actions you can take to make sure somebody doesn’t get a permit,” Parson said. “Judges can do that, petitions can be filed. There’s different things in the book now that we can do to prevent that.”

First Alert 4 repeatedly tried to follow up but the governor’s office will not say the specific law that the Governor claims exists.

The day Harris bought his gun, he writes an entry talking about how holding it “feels right as if I was born to kill.” Harris went on writing he felt like God, “I’ve never felt so in control in my life.”

Five days after that entry, his family makes the crisis call to police.

“I don’t have bullets or anything,” Harris can be heard saying in the body camera video obtained by First Alert 4.

“You’re not understanding what I’m saying. Your sister and your brother are afraid to be in the house with you because of what you have,” Harris’ mom is heard responding.

The body camera video shows officers waiting for Harris to go into the house, while his family hides the gun in a car trunk.

Investigators said the gun was put in a storage center, but they won’t say how nine days later Harris got it back, claiming that’s still an open investigation.

Harris doesn’t mention the call in his notebook.

The day before the shooting, Harris writes, “nobody has ever loved or cared about me…which is all I’ve ever wanted in life.”

“This was the perfect storm for a mass shooter.”

“Is this person sane enough to have a gun?” Joe Kuczka asked.

The words of the shooter are leaving the Kuczka family with more questions and raising their concerns over what they still haven’t been told.

“We don’t want this to happen again,” Joe Kuczka said. “From things I know now, I think there were things that could have been prevented and stopped this "

Investigators claim Harris’ writings were found in his car after the attack.

First Alert 4 Investigates is learning SLMPD are making changes following the crisis call to Harris’ house.

The FBI notified SLMPD that the teen failed a gun background check. The department says they weren’t required to do anything about that and the officers who went to Harris’ house over the gun were not aware of it. SLMPD said legally officers still couldn’t take the gun but they are putting more attention on those FBI notices and adding them to their system when they run someone’s name. SLMPD said they can use the notices to do further investigation and a threat assessment if they deem necessary.

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