Central High School of Visual and Performing Arts, with a student population of approximately 380, and the Collegiate School of Medicine and Biological Sciences, with approximately 260 students, are specialized high schools. At the performing arts school, which is predominantly black, students are required to audition before being accepted for enrollment.
Jawae Bronner, 15, was returning from the bathroom to her visual arts class when “Miles Davis” was announced via the intercom. His teacher opened him and about 20 other students into a closet.
“We all thought it was an exercise,” Jawae said. Once inside, Jawae texted his family to let them know he was safe. Some of his classmates started panicking, he said. They could hear gunshots nearby, but they continued to wait.
“I feel empty, I feel really empty, I have no emotions going through me,” he said. “I’m ready to die.”
While in the closet, Jawae reads a Bible verse from his phone, John 3:16.
“I understood that if this is the time for me to go, this is the time for me to go,” he said. He started looking for possible exits around the closet, including the vents. He even considered braiding blankets together to create a rope he could hang through the window.
Finally, the police banged on the door and escorted Jawae and his classmates out of the school to safety.
Jenna Fisher reported from St. Louis, and Julie Bosman from Chicago. Jim Tankersley Contribution report from Washington. Kirsten Noyes and Kitty Bennett contribution research.
