Alexandria “Alex” Bell was identified as the 16-year-old high school student who was murdered in the St. Louis school shooting on October 24, 2022.
Orlando Harris, 19, was named as the shooter. Police say he barged into the school with a long gun and murdered Bell and teacher Jean Kirk Kuczka. Police shot Harris to death. Seven other students were injured and are in stable condition, police say.
Kuczka was a health teacher at Central VPA High School in St. Louis, Missouri.
Here’s what you need to know about Alex Bell:
Bell Was on the School’s Dance Team
Bell’s father spoke to KSDK-TV. He revealed that Alex was a sophomore at school and had eight siblings.
“She loved to dance and was on the school’s junior dance team,” the television station reported.
“That was my pretty girl,” a relative wrote, sharing a collage of photos.
State Representative Kimberly-Ann Collins wrote on Facebook, “RIP to Alex, a beautiful, smart, and talented girl who didn’t deserve any of this.”
‘She Didn’t Deserve This,’ A Family Member Wrote of Alex
A relative, Destiny Diamond, shared a photo of Bell on Facebook.
“Y’all please pray for me and my family💔 My little cousin Alexandria was one of the deceased victims of the Active school shooting today😭😭 Lord wrap your arms around My cousin Keisha Acres I love you we’ll get through this she didn’t deserve this💔💔” she wrote.
Kuczka, the Other Victim, Said, ‘I Cannot Imagine Myself in any Other Career But teaching’
The 61-year-old teacher’s bio reads:
I cannot imagine myself in any other career but teaching. In high school, I taught swimming lessons at the YMCA. From that point on, I knew I wanted to be a teacher. I believe that every child is a unique human being and deserves a chance to learn. I also believe that Health is the most awesome subject in school, because, without your health, you cannot live to your fullest potential. I love teaching Health and Physical Education and guiding students to make wise decisions. Respect is my favorite word!
Michael Sack, St. Louis police chief, said in a press conference on Monday, October 24, 2022, that officers “arrived within minutes of the call going out” and immediately made entry into the school.
Student witnesses told local journalists terrifying stories of hiding in classrooms, jumping out of windows, and hearing gunshots in the school. The shooter has not been identified, and the motive remains unclear.
The teacher’s faculty bio says:
After earning her bachelor of science in education, she began teaching physical education at Seven Holy Founders in Affton, MO. For the next 16 years, Jean developed a physical education program for the K-8 SHF students. Wanting to teach strictly middle school children, Jean began her SLPS career at Carr Lane in 2002. At first, she taught physical education, but wanted to pass on her passion for health, so she developed a health program for the middle school.
After health became a state-required course for high school, Jean transferred to Central Visual and Performing Arts High School where she has taught Health, Personal Finance, and Physical Education since 2008.
According to the bio, she lived in Dittmer, Missouri, with her husband and one of her five children. “She enjoys spending time with her 7 grandchildren and is an avid bike rider,” the bio says. “Each year she participates in JDRF’s Ride to Cure to raise money to find a cure for juvenile diabetes, a disease her 29 year old son has been living with for 19 years.”
On Facebook, Kuczka’s posts focused on her family, pets, bike riding, and Diabetes causes.
READ NEXT: Remembering Jean Kirk Kuczka.