Des Moines police investigate East High shooting. (DMPD photo)
Gun safety advocates say Iowa schools need to focus on preventing gun violence after a 15-year-old was shot and killed outside East High School in Des Moines last week.
Sierra Pilate, an 18-year-old senior at East High, says schools need to offer more training for staff rather than just relying on school resource officers or police. “We, as students, should be able to go to our teachers and our higher-ups, principals, anything, or people in our community to know that we are safe,” she says, “but as of right now, most students do not feel that way.”
Pilate spoke at a news conference organized by an East High graduate and a lawmaker who taught at the school for 40 years. Six teenagers have been charged with murder in the death of 15-year-old Jose David Lopez. Lopez’s funeral was held yesterday.
(By Kassidy Arena, Iowa Public Radio)