SOURCE: Education Week

VALDOSTA – School shootings, sadly, are becoming the rule rather than exception. A shooting on October 29, 2018 at Butler High School in Matthews, N.C. left one student shot dead by another student, according to a local media report and the North Carolina state superintendent’s office. The shooter was arrested and the incident was considered an “isolated incident,” but it underscores the urgent reality that continues to grow with each year.

To put things in perspective, according to investigations from Education Week, see this link: https://www.edweek.org/ew/section/multimedia/school-shootings-this-year-how-many-and-where.html?cmp=eml-enl-eu-news2&M=58655091&U=2986285&UUID=e77c5e799510f0b8bdea00e11f3a6392

BREAKDOWN FOR 2018:

1. The first school shooting in 2018 happened on January 22, at Italy High School in Italy, Texas. A 16-yearold boy opened fire in the school cafeteria, wounding a 15-year-old, and was charged with two charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, two charges of deadly conduct, one charge of a terroristic threat with bodily injury, and one charge of unlawful possession of a firearm.
2. A day later, at Marshall County High School in Kentucky, another shooting occurred. A 15-year-old student shot and killed two classmates and injured 14 others firing a handgun inside a crowded atrium at his rural Kentucky high school. Seven others were injured in the rush to evacuate. Charged with two counts of murder and 14 counts of first-degree assault
   
3. On January 31, at Lincoln High School in Philadelphia, a 32-year-old man was shot and killed in a school parking lot during a school basketball game. Charges are unknown.
4. On February 1, at Salvador Castro Middle School in Los Angeles, two 15-year-old students, a male and a female, were shot in their Los Angeles classroom. Three others, an adult and two students, had minor abrasion injuries that weren’t caused by gunfire, police said. Police arrested a female suspect at the scene and later said they believed the shooting was unintentional. Charged with two felonies: being a minor in possession of a firearm, and possessing a firearm on school grounds
5. On February 5, at Oxon Hill High School in Oxon Hill, Maryland, at around 5 pm, a student was shot and injured in the school parking lot. The school was closed when the shooting happened but extracurricular activities were underway. Charged with attempted murder.
   
6. On February 14, at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, a 19-year-old male with a semi-automatic rifle killed 17 people, wounded 17 and sent hundreds fleeing into the streets. Charged with 17 counts of first-degree murder and 17 counts of attempted murder
7. A 17-year-old female student was shot and killed. A 17-year-old male student has since been charged with manslaughter and illegal firearms possession. Authorities initially said the shooting could have been accidental and have not released details on what led to the gunshot.
8. On March 7, at Huffman High School in Birmingham, Alabama, a 17-year-old female student was shot and killed. A 17-year-old male student has since been charged with manslaughter and illegal firearms possession. Authorities initially said the shooting could have been accidental and have not released details on what led to the gunshot. Charged with manslaughter and illegal firearms possession
9. On March 13, at Seaside High School in Seaside, California, three students were injured when a teacher, who is also a reserve police officer, accidentally fired his gun in a classroom as he was teaching a gun safety lesson. Resigned from his positions as a teacher and a police officer. No criminal charges filed. Remains a Seaside City Council member.
   
10. On March 20, at Great Mills High School in Great Hills, Maryland, Two students were shot and injured in a shooting at a high school in Great Mills, Md. The teenage shooter took his own life minutes later during a confrontation with a school resource officer. One of the victims, a 16-year-old girl, died two days after the shooting.
11. On April 12, at Raytown South Middle School in Raytown, Missouri, a man was shot in the stomach in the evening in the parking lot of Raytown South Middle School. The shooting occurred during a track meet involving three schools.
12. On April 20, at Forest High School in Ocala, Florida, a  19-year-old man—who police say is a former student not currently enrolled—shot a 17-year-old male student in the ankle, authorities say. A school district official said the suspect fired at the bottom of a locked classroom door, and pellets struck the victim in the ankle. The shooter pleaded not guilty to multiple charges.
13. On May 11, at Highland High School in Palmdale, California, a student was shot in the arm, and a 14-year-old suspect is in custody, police said. The shooting was sparked by a dispute between the two students, officials said. The shooter was charged with two counts of attempted murder, six counts of assault with an assault weapon, and one count of possessing a firearm in a school zone
14. On May 18 at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, New Mexico, law enforcement authorities said 10 people, most of them students, were killed and another 13 were wounded in a shooting at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas, near Houston. The shooter was indicted on charges of capital murder and aggravated assault.
15. On May 25, at Noblesville West Middle School in Noblesville, Indiana, a male student opened fire at a suburban Indianapolis middle school, injuring an adult and a child before being taken into custody, authorities said. The victims in the attack at Noblesville West Middle School were taken to hospitals in Indianapolis and the suspect is believed to have acted alone, a sheriff’s spokesman said. Charged with two counts of attempted murder and multiple other charges.
16. On August 17, at Palm Beach Central High School in Wellington, Florida, in the opening days of the 2018-19 school year, two men were shot and a woman was trampled during a Friday night football game on Aug. 17 at Palm Beach Central High in Wellington, Fla. The shooting took place on school property, just outside the stadium’s seating area.
17. On August 24, at William M. Raines High School, 3hree people were shot on Aug. 24 outside a high school football stadium. The shooting took place 15 minutes after the end of the game, as spectators were exiting the stadium. A 19-year-old male was found dead at the scene. The two other victims, both high school students, were injured. Police are calling this a gang-related shooting. Charged with murder and two counts of attempted murder
18. On August 28, at DSST Cole Middle School, at 2 p.m., a shooting occurred on the campus of DSST Cole Middle School in Denver that left one student injured. Police have arrested a juvenile male in connection with the shooting. He is under investigation of aggravated assault. Charged with criminal attempt to commit murder in the first degree, assault in the first degree, and possession of a handgun by a juvenile
19. On September 11, at Canyon Springs High School in North Las Vegas, an 18-year-old male student was shot and killed on the campus of Canyon Springs High School after school let out. The shooting happened when hundreds of students participating in athletics and after-school activities were still present at the school. Charged as an adult with murder
20. On September 27, at Hebron High School in Carrollton, Texas, A 31-year-old man was shot during a junior varsity football game at Hebron High School in Carrollton, Texas. The shooting happened in the stadium parking lot, police say, and a 47-year-old male suspect was arrested and then released pending the decision of a grand jury on whether to file charges. Witnesses say the two men were arguing in the stands and then went to the parking lot where the shooting happened, potentially in self-defense. Released from custody, pending grand jury
21. On October 3, at Denali Montessori School in Anchorage, Alaska, a man shot and injured another man in the parking lot of Denali Montessori School in a “domestic dispute,” police said. Charged with assault and misconduct involving a weapon
22. On October 5, at Hayward High School in Brownsville, Tennessee, two people were shot and injured after a fight broke out in the parking lot outside a high school football game in Brownsville, Tenn. Police are hailing a local citizen as a hero, saying the army veteran stopped the suspect and likely saved lives. A 16-year-old male suspect has been charged. Charged with criminal attempt to commit first-degree murder, aggravated assault, and reckless endangerment
23. On October 29, at Butler High School, in Matthews, North Carolina, a student died after being shot by another student at Butler High School in Matthews, N.C., according to local media reports and the North Carolina state superintendent’s office. The shooter has been taken into custody and police have said they believe the shooting was an “isolated incident.” Charged with first-degree murder