Four students at Pittsburgh Westinghouse Academy were shot and wounded Tuesday afternoon while classes were being dismissed for the day at the school in Homewood, Pittsburgh Public Safety officials said.
None of the students suffered life-threatening injuries, public safety officials said. The department established a pick-up location for other students who were leaving the school after the shooting, which occurred around 2:25 p.m.
Pittsburgh police said a ShotSpotter sensor alerted officers after picking up the sound of 10 rounds of gunfire near the school in the 1100 block of North Murtland Street. When police arrived there, they found three gunshot victims, who were taken to hospitals by EMS units. A fourth victim went to a hospital by private means, police said.
The victims — three males and a female — are all juveniles, police said. Pittsburgh Public Schools officials said they were in stable condition Tuesday night. No arrests have been made in the shootings.
The school will operate remotely on Wednesday.
Our city deserves to have a lasting peace, and that means we have to work to find ways to resolve our conflicts that don’t involve using guns and bullets. We can and must do better for our children and for our future.
— Mayor Ed Gainey (@MayorEdGainey) February 14, 2023
In a statement Tuesday night, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey asked for prayer for the wounded students, their families and "the entire Westinghouse community" following the shootings.
"Westinghouse is a community filled with scholars and champions, and I want everyone to know and celebrate their accomplishments, and not just focus on the violence we saw today," he said. "It is on all of us to show these students that we love and care for them as they recover from this tragedy."
The mayor also decried another incident involving gun violence in the city, and he renewed his call for gun-reform legislation in Pennsylvania.
"For too long, gun manufacturers have been able to avoid any accountability for their role in our ongoing epidemic of gun violence," he said. "Earlier today, I called to change the law that gives manufacturers immunity from lawsuits so we can hold these manufacturers accountable for the innocent lives that have been harmed by their weapons.
"Our city deserves to have a lasting peace, and that means we have to work to find ways to resolve our conflicts that don’t involve using guns and bullets," Gainey added. "We can and must do better for our children and for our future."
Also on Tuesday night, PPS Superintendent Dr. Wayne Walters released an audio message to Westinghouse parents and staff, saying "my heart is heavy" and offering his prayers for them as well.
"Schools are designed to be safe spaces, and I want nothing more than to create warm, joyful and nurturing learning environments for our students and staff. In order to do so, we must collectively commit to working together and encourage all to always share something if they know something," he said in the message. "Violent acts are becoming pervasive, and as a society, we all must act to create impact."
