ST. LOUIS — The missing protective hand guard on the AR-15 rifle used earlier this week by the ºüÀêÊÓƵ school shooter broke off during the gunman's fatal firefight with police, authorities said Friday.Â
The gun used Monday by Orlando Harris, 19, in a shooting spree that left two people dead and seven injured at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School and Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience had become a hot topic for internet sleuths.
It was clear at a news conference Tuesday that the gun was missing a crucial piece: The hand guard that covers the barrel. Some speculated that might have slowed Harris down during the rampage and bought time for kids to flee. Interim police Chief Michael Sack seemed perplexed by the missing piece when he saw a photograph of the gun displayed on a big screen, noting it was "unusual to see the gas tube."
When an AR-15 is fired, a round and hot gasses escape from the casing, pushing the bullet forward and cycling the next round, making the barrel extremely hot. The hand guard protects the shooter's hand from serious burns while touching a hot barrel.Â
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ºüÀêÊÓƵ police Sgt. Charles Wall said Friday the piece broke off during Harris' firefight with police and was not missing when the gunman entered the school.Â
"To clarify, the rifle was missing the hand guard at the time it was photographed," Wall confirmed to the Post-Dispatch. "However, it was not missing the hand guard prior to the encounter between the suspect and police."
The gun was a Palmetto State Armory PA-15.
At least two students interviewed by the Post-Dispatch in the minutes after they escaped Monday said they thought the shooter's gun had jammed, giving them time to escape. Wall said Friday he had no information about the weapons inspections, including whether the gun malfunctioned.Â
Within minutes of getting the "active shooter" call, ºüÀêÊÓƵ police burst into the school and saw rifle cartridges and casings in the hallways and stairwells. They heard a volley of gunshots from the third floor and found Harris barricaded in a third-floor classroom next to the library.
They yelled at him to drop the weapon and surrender, but police said Harris fired shots inside the classroom. Officers returned fire. They then broke down the door and fired several shots at Harris as he pointed his gun at them, police said. He died at a hospital.