As gun violence continues to plague the United States, we see more stories involving young people and guns. It’s unnerving to hear about adult gun violence, but seeing it trickling down to kids is truly terrifying. On March 31, 2026, a 13-year-old boy reportedly opened fire at a middle school track meet in Ferguson, Missouri. Gunfire struck 13-year-old LaJuan Swopes and an unidentified 15-year-old. Sadly, LaJuan died a short time later. Now local leaders, parents, and activists want change and protection for the community’s most vulnerable.
The motive behind the shooting remains unclear.
The shooting occurred at STEAM Academy at McCluer South Berkeley High School just after 7 p.m., per a release from the Ferguson Police Department. Individuals from multiple schools were participating in a track meet on campus. The unidentified shooter ran away, but police reportedly found him a few blocks away and recovered his weapon. LaJuan died following surgery, and the 15-year-old victim remains in the hospital with serious injuries.
The shooting made plenty of people upset.
The comment section on the Ferguson Police Department’s Facebook page pointed plenty of fingers.
“Why does a child living in a city need a gun? What conditions are they under that make that a choice a child would choose?” someone asked. “The problem isn’t going to go away by addressing the children or the guns. It’s only going to go away when the underlying conditions in the community that leads to the necessity of needing a gun goes away.”
Others had a more violent approach.
“Let’s all cry about it, but the issue is still going on, cut their hands off and they will never shoot people again. Problem solved,” one commenter suggested.
The Ferguson-Florissant School District promptly issued a statement.
Since the fatal police-involved shooting of Michael Brown in 2014, Ferguson has become notorious for gun violence in the St. Louis area. Following the latest shooting, the Ferguson-Florissant school district wanted to share details as soon as possible.
“We want to reassure our families that no Ferguson-Florissant students or families were involved. We understand that situations like this can feel unsettling, and we are saddened to have something happen so close to our schools,” the district shared on Facebook. “We are grateful to our local law enforcement partners for their quick action. The safety of our students and staff will continue to be our top priority.”
The shooting shocked the community.
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Lisa LaGrone, founder of the violence prevention group Safe Streets, Safe Neighborhoods, told KSDK that news of LaJuan’s death shocked her. She knew the teen personally and never expected him to die in such a horrific way. “It’s real heartbreaking for all of us. He was a nice kid. You know, he was an average kid,” LaGrone said.
As an activist, she believes that parents and teachers need to make discussions about gun violence a priority. “I think violence prevention needs to be taught in schools. I also think we as a community need to come to the table, get together, and discuss these issues facing our kids,” LaGrone added to KSDK. “Summer is not even here yet, and we as a village got to do better.”
The unidentified shooter faces charges of second-degree murder, first-degree assault, armed criminal action, and unlawful use of a weapon.
This is so terrifying. If we can’t trust our kids to attend a middle school track meet safely, what has our world come to? No one should have to live in fear like this, yet every day it seems to get worse.
