The Sparks Middle School shooting occurred in

Sparks, Nevada Sparks is a city in Washoe County, Nevada, United States. It was founded in 1904, incorporated on March 15, 1905, and is located just east of Reno, Nevada, Reno. The 2020 U.S. Census counted 108,445 residents in the city. It is the List of citi ...

, United States, on October 21, 2013. Two people, including the perpetrator, were killed, and two others were injured. Sparks Middle School is part of the

Washoe County School District The Washoe County School District (WCSD) is a public school district providing public education to students in all parts of Washoe County, Nevada, including the cities of Reno and Sparks, and the unincorporated communities of Verdi, Incline ...

Shooting

On October 21, 2013, Jose Reyes, a 12-year-old student in seventh grade, opened fire with a

handgun A handgun is a firearm designed to be usable with only one hand. It is distinguished from a long gun, long barreled gun (i.e., carbine, rifle, shotgun, submachine gun, or machine gun) which typically is intended to be held by both hands and br ...

at the basketball courts of Sparks Middle School. He injured a 12-year-old student, KJ Kersey, in the shoulder. Michael Landsberry, a 45-year-old math teacher who was trying to intervene with Reyes, was shot and killed in the playground. Reyes proceeded to fire two shots at teacher Mr. Perez, missing both, and then shot and wounded a 12-year-old student, Mason Davis, who tried to come to Landsberry's assistance. Davis suffered an injury to his abdomen. Reyes then committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

by shooting himself in the head. He had two magazines, one with 17 rounds, and another with 10 rounds, although neither were filled to capacity. The shooting happened before classes, and the school was evacuated and was closed for the week. Details of the shooting emerged in the report issued the following spring.

Perpetrator

Jose Horacio Reyes (July 2, 2001 – October 21, 2013), was born in

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...

, to parents from

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. He had two younger sisters, and grew up partially in

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

where his father found a construction job, but later moved with his family back to Nevada. Reyes's parents owned a restaurant in Sparks. In early 2012, Reyes's father was charged with and pleaded guilty to misdemeanor child abuse for an incident involving his son. Reyes left two

suicide note A suicide note or death note is a message written by a person who intends to die by suicide. A study examining Japanese suicide notes estimated that 25–30% of suicides are accompanied by a note. However, incidence rates may depend on ethnic ...

s claiming he was bullied, and had taken the

antidepressant Antidepressants are a class of medications used to treat major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, chronic pain, and addiction. Common side effects of antidepressants include Xerostomia, dry mouth, weight gain, dizziness, headaches, akathi ...

Prozac Fluoxetine, sold under the brand name Prozac, among others, is an antidepressant medication of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class used for the treatment of major depressive disorder, anxiety, obsessive–compulsive disor ...

and an

antipsychotic Antipsychotics, previously known as neuroleptics and major tranquilizers, are a class of Psychiatric medication, psychotropic medication primarily used to manage psychosis (including delusions, hallucinations, paranoia or disordered thought), p ...

drug.

Aftermath

The incident has been a continuing subject of public concern and discussion. In November 2015,

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

discussed the shooting at Sparks during her campaign for the presidency, as part of her campaign for

gun control Gun control, or firearms regulation, is the set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms and ammunition by civilians. Most countries allow civilians to own firearms, bu ...

References

External links

School websiteHillary Clinton campaign speech about the Sparks school shooting
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sparks Middle School shooting, 2013 Deaths by firearm in Nevada Attacks on schools in 2013 Murder–suicides in Nevada Murder committed by minors School shootings committed by pupils Middle school shootings in the United States Sparks, Nevada 2013 in Nevada 2013 murders in the United States Mass shootings in Nevada Washoe County School District October 2013 crimes in the United States Filmed murder–suicides Filmed killings in North America School shootings motivated by bullying

Shooting

Perpetrator

Aftermath

See also

References

External links