A 20-year-veteran custodian allegedly fatally shot a co-worker before turning the gun on himself in an apparent murder-suicide inside Mark Twain Elementary School in Garfield Ridge Monday.
Around 3:40 p.m., two people were found unresponsive inside Mark Twain Elementary School, at 5134 S. Lotus Ave. in the Garfield Ridge neighborhood.
Video from inside the school shows a 48-year-old female custodian walking down a hallway past the shooter, a 63-year-old man who was also a custodian, around 3:40 p.m. Monday when he walked behind her and shot her in the head from close range, according to police reports obtained by the Sun-Times.
The older custodian, who had been at work for one hour, then went to the school’s office and shot himself in the head, according to a police report, which said the 20-year veteran custodian was upset because he was going to be ‘relocated’ from the school.
Both victims were taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where they were pronounced dead.
Trumaine Reeves, Executive Vice President of the SEIU Local 73 union, which represents custodial staff, said in a statement, “The only facts we know right now are that two families have lost a loved one and our prayers are with their families, and the staff, students, and families at Mark Twain Elementary School.”
According to police radio transmissions, a dispatcher said the shooting stemmed from a disagreement between two custodians.
Several parents came by the school after the shooting, concerned about what happened inside. Felicia Puga said she’s now terrified to drop off her daughter at school once it starts on Aug. 24.
“How are we supposed to send our kids to school knowing something like this could happen potentially again?” she said.
“We are just out here thinking, could it be our child? Not knowing it was an intimate situation with the workers here in the school.”
“Now I’m questioning if I should even send her, and hopefully there’s a school nearby, but we’re not in the district for it,” she said. “So we’re hoping maybe I can get her into that school, because something is not right here.”
One neighbor in the area said she lives across the street and is familiar with the custodial staff. “I feel sorry, I feel bad about them and we know some of them. And we know the supervisor,” said Ana Medina.
Eyewitness Jacob Hernandez was biking near the school when first responders arrived.
“I saw two people on a stretcher. They were trying to resuscitate somebody,” he said.
“And I heard this guy, he was telling me he heard a girl screaming.”
Former student Edgar Ochoa said the shooting was unexpected. “I think it’s kind of sad. It’s kind of unexpected because, you know, when I came here it was never bad around here,” Ochoa said.
Audio from police radio communications included reports that “In the hallway we have one female,” “The shooter shot himself in the head,” and “There is a firearm right next to the offender.”
“Dear Twain Community, it is with deep sadness that I inform you that this afternoon, shots were fired inside our school building. I am sorry to share that members of our school community were impacted,” the school statement said. “We know that this news will be deeply concerning to our families and staff. We will work to provide additional information to the school community as the investigation proceeds,” the statement said.
The school’s principal said no students were inside the building at the time of the shooting, but the incident left some families questioning school safety ahead of the start of the school year.
In the viral moment that spread across Chicago’s school community, the shooting unfolded during a time when the building sat empty of students, just two weeks before classes were scheduled to begin.
No students were at the school, as classes don’t begin there until Aug. 24.
The incident nonetheless triggered immediate concerns among parents about school safety and whether staff could be trusted to maintain a secure environment.
Police recovered a weapon at the scene and launched a full investigation into the circumstances.
Investigators with Area One detectives are working to determine how the two adults were connected and what triggered the gunfire.
The identities of both victims remain unreleased as of the latest reports.
Classes are scheduled to start in two weeks.