Saturday, November 8, 2014

Westinghouse students apparently shot on way home from school

PG article about the shooting shortly after 3:00 pm on Friday in Homewood leaving two teens critically injured:

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/11/07/Two-young-men-shot-in-Homewood/stories/201411070202

The location is near Westinghouse HS and word is that the shooting victims, who are brothers, are Westinghouse students.  It seems likely that the students were walking home from Westinghouse.

Security in the vicinity of schools needs attention since students can easily be targeted on their way to/from school.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

After what happened at U prep, hopefully another tragedy can be averted.

Questioner said...

It seems pretty tragic- injuries are critical.

Word is that earlier in the week a student reported being shot at- no info on whether it was one of the same students- but if so that would have been the time to avert the tragedy.

Questioner said...

Word is that the critically injured Westinghouse students were in fact walking home from school at the time of the shootings, but no one would know that from reading the PG.

Meanwhile, the PG does not hesitate to report on considerably less serious incidents in Wilkinsburgh:

http://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2014/11/11/Wilkinsburg-School-District-responding-to-two-violent-incidents/stories/201411110185

Anonymous said...

Also notice how Wilkinsburg school officials speak out, basically saying we won't allow this to continue, when PPS won't ever speak out even when students are involved in much more serious incidents. Wilkinsburg official said "we will protect students who want to learn" students in PPS are sent the opposite message, that PPS will allow them to be terrorized, traumatized, murdered, with basically no public comment or reassurance that the school is handling things

Anonymous said...

What is the law anyway on a school district's responsibility for students safety? I have heard "from door to door" and a lot less.

Questioner said...

Very well-said, 5:20!

7:55, there would be both legal and moral responsibility, if the school district is in a position to help prevent tragedies; compare MR's statements about the possibility that a piece of plaster might fall:

"You close a school when you are warned that the prospects are significant for such an event occurring. If you wait until it occurs, one, you have accepted liability on a legal sense and financial sense. That is the legal financial sense. On a moral sense, you have done something I think far more extraordinary. (Agenda Review, June 18, 2008, p. 92)."

Questioner said...

Ironically, the two students shot near Westinghouse reportedly transferred from Wilkinsburg this year.

Better reporting on details could help communities determine what types of action to request. For example, both the Hill and the Homewood shootings involved recent transfers, so special attention to new students might be a reasonable focus.

Questioner said...

Good news, word is that both students are expected to survive.

Anonymous said...

Bad news is- they will mock likely be targeted again. The idea of door to door safety and responsibility only goes so far. The parents/guardians/court needs to make a decision where they should go next. Perhaps another city in another state.
The fella that was murdered outside of Carrick 11-12 years ago was a target and the gunman were like energizer bunnies. They would not quit.
It is time for someone to see the only way to stop this bloodshed is to move those kids OUT!