DA wants to arm school officers

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Officials said Thursday’s gun violence at LeFlore High School was caught on the school's security camera. 

Following that violence, the Mobile County District Attorney is calling for school resource officers to be  armed.

LeFlore's School Resource Officer said he should be able to carry a gun.

But one school board member worries it will spell even more danger, and lead to  what he calls a gunbattle.

A day after gunfire erupted on the campus of LeFlore High School, the school's resource officer, Curtis Graves is still shaken.

"This could have been horrible. This would have been horrible. That young man entered the school, walked through the hall. It was troubling," said Graves.

There are eleven school resources officers in Mobile County to cover Alabama's largest public school system. 

Curtis oversees nine schools. So when gun fire rang out at LeFlore, he wasn't there.

"I was at another school, handling a situation there when I got the phone call. I immediately headed to LeFlore," said Graves.

Once on the campus, Graves said he helped the law enforcement who were already on the scene.

"I talked to the students, and gathered interviews," said Graves. "I got a lot of calls and was able to tell people their children were safe."

Soon after the shooting, Mobile County District Attorney Ashley Rich made known she wants school resources armed, too.

School board member Dr. Reginald Crenshaw said he doesn't think that's a good idea.

"I don't think having an armed school resource officer is going to deter students from coming on campus with guns. What you are going to do is create a gun battle. Now I am not in law enforcement or a seasoned in crime like Ms. Rich; but I do know what I've seen and experienced in public schools," said Crenshaw.

Crenshaw has been a school board member for three years and calls the districts he represents high risk for violence.

He said schools need metal detectors, and more secured campuses.

Crenshaw also believes uniformed police officers would be much more effective than a school resource officer armed with a gun.

"It will have a stronger impact if you have city of Mobile, Prichard, or Mobile County officer on campus patrolling campus and you can get immediate back up if needed," said Crenshaw.

Graves is a former police officer and so are ten of the eleven school resource officers district wide. He believes he should be allowed to carry a gun to help ensure safety.

"Yes, it would help us out immensely. As resource officers we come with law enforcement experience, and training," said Graves. "A lot of us are recruited for the job."

Crenshaw and Graves do agree more needs to be done to restrict the access students have to guns in the first place.

"We need to talk about access to guns. How do we prevent these kids from getting guns into their hands? That is a major problem," said Crenshaw.

The school shooting is still under investigation.