Students returned to school a day after classes were canceled due to a fatal shooting involving a current and a former SHHS student.
The shooting occurred around 4:30 p.m. in the Shaker Heights Main Library April 1. The victim, former student Charles Lee Shanklin, was taken to a hospital and died the next morning. A sophomore student was arrested shortly after the shooting and has been charged with murder, felonious assault and carrying a concealed weapon, among other felonies.
In response to the shooting, the high school and both public libraries were closed Wednesday. “Once we understood that a former student was killed, that took precedence over anything else in the moment,” Interim Principal Isaiah Wyatt said.
Citing an active police investigation, Scott Stephens, executive director of communications and public relations, would not say whether the arrested student was at school the day of the shooting and passed through the weapons-detection system. “We have no comment regarding security matters, ” he said.
Shaker Heights Police Chief Wayne D. Hudson did not return a call seeking confirmation of the same in time for publication.
Walk-through weapon detection at the high school began January 23. “We have tested the system with multiple off-duty officers in real time to ensure weapons are being detected at a 100 percent accuracy rate. This will continue to be a practice that we engage our SHPD in to ensure our system is functioning properly,” Wyatt said.
“Our school is safe,” said Wyatt. “Since we’ve started this [system], we have not had one weapon come through.”
A crisis management team was assembled Tuesday. Its goal was to “spread joy and offer services” throughout the building when students returned to school, according to Wyatt. In addition to the high school’s guidance counselors and social workers, the team comprised third-party mental health professionals who are available to speak to all students. Six therapy dogs handled by the Ohio Crisis Response Canines team greeted students in hallways and classrooms. The mental health professionals will remain in the building next week.
Security and Shaker Heights Police Department presence were increased, according to Wyatt. He said that safety at the high school also comes through relationships and stressed the importance of building a stronger community. “For me, that’s one of the things that I’m excited about, and a big part of that is empowering our students,” he said.
Said Wyatt, “We have some hurting people in our community right now, and we want to honor that and make sure that we’re able to support.”
Opinion Editor Olivia Cavallo contributed reporting.
