‘Why is this still happening man’: Student films chaos at school after shooting on campus

Trigger warning: This story contains themes of gun violence that some readers may find distressing

School shootings in America have become so normalized that they hardly make the news anymore. Students at YES Prep Southwest Secondary were exasperated and scared for their safety after a school shooting on campus last week. Thankfully, there were no fatalities and the perpetrator was arrested. "Why is this still happening man," asked one student in a video of the chaos that followed the shooting on campus. The video posted on TikTok captured behind-the-scenes videos of the lockdown from the shooting. Dexter Harold Kelsey, a 25-year-old former student, confessed to the shooting at YES school, reported Daily Dot. He was charged with aggravated assault against a public servant and deadly conduct in the shooting, said the Houston police. Kelsey is currently in jail with a bond of $5.25 million.

Only the school principal was injured in the shooting after he was grazed by a bullet. Eric Espinosa, the principal released after being treated for his injuries at the hospital. The principal warned his students and staff before he got shot. The others fled the school as officers arrived. The police arrested Kelsey shortly after. It appears the shooter was targeting a woman staffer at the school. Dexter Kelsey had reportedly posted about her on social media. He had also referred to past incidents at the school and named a few people at YES Prep Southwest Secondary, reported Chron.com.

A student, who goes by @melikepussc on TikTok, posted the video showing students walking down the school halls with their hands in the air. The video was captioned: "There was a shooter in my school." The students could be seen walking past armed police officers at the entrance of the building. She said the shooter apparently had a hit list he wanted to execute. The video also showed a shattered door with blood splattered on the floor. One person commented, “This turned so common you don’t even see it in the news anymore,” while another wrote, “Why is this still happening man, It’s such a common thing that you barely see stuff like this trend anymore." She posted two videos from the shooting totaling 11.5m views.

One teacher commented on the video, writing, "As a teacher, this is my worst fear. I fear having to protect my kids when I know I can't even protect myself. This shouldn't be our reality at schools." Another commented, "Meanwhile, at my school a group of parents marched against masks. If only they were as passionate about school shootings." One person who personally experienced the tragedy of a school shooting also weighed in. "Really happy to see you're doing ok. Coming from a Columbine survivor, I really wish you guys never would have to go through what my friends and I went through." In 1999, two students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, murdered their classmates and teachers at Columbine High School.

The school has been canceled until Wednesday. YES Prep Southwest Secondary released an official statement addressing the shooting and offering mental health support for those who needed it. “We recognize Friday’s violent incident at Southwest is still evoking many emotions…You don’t have to cope with this alone. There are counselors ready to follow up with students needing support. Please reach out if they need someone to talk to,” read the statement.