Shooting at Forest High School in Ocala, FL

On Friday, April 20th, a day dedicated to school walkouts in protest to gun violence, and as a remembrance of the anniversary of Columbine, a student was shot at Forest High School in Ocala, Florida. The student was shot in the ankle, and the suspect was taken into custody shortly after. The shooting occurred around 8:39 am EST standard time, and Deputy Jimmy Long was able to get the suspect into custody just three minutes later. The suspect, a former student named Sky Bouche went without a fight. The suspect shot through a door at the school, which is how he shot the victim, a 17-year-old student who is currently in the hospital. When talking to Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods, the victim told him, “I am so glad it was me and not one of my friends.”

After the shooting and a lockdown to confirm that there was only one gunman, the students were bussed to First Baptist Church of Ocala where their parents were able to pick them up. The event occurred just a couple hours before many students at the school planned to participate in the national school walkout at 10:20 am EST. Walkouts at other schools in the district were canceled as a result of the shooting.

The suspect faces charges of terrorism, culpable negligence, aggravated assault with a firearm, possession of a sealed firearm on school property, amongst others. There have been twenty school shooting in 2018.

Author:
Caitlin Wills is a graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder with a BA in journalism and a minor in creative writing. She has written for various websites including The Odyssey Online and The Tempest, and currently writes album reviews for MXDWN. She is also an avid fiction writer and is working on writing a novel. Follow her on Twitter @caitlinjherrera.