NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — September 20, 2021, was one of the first days of a new school year for students at Heritage High School in Newport News.
One of those students was senior Sterling Bailey, now a student at Norfolk State University.
“It changed me as a young man,” Bailey said.
Bailey told News 3 he was walking out of the cafeteria with friends when just ten feet away, the first shot went off.
“We thought it was like a balloon, so we weren't really too timid. Then, the second one went off, and kids were screaming. Kids were running,” Bailey said. “We all started running, and it was a very scary incident.”
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Heritage High School shooting in Newport News leaves 2 teens injured
Four students, in total, were injured on campus, including Bailey's best friend.
“A part of me was really hurt,” he said.
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Reflecting on one-year anniversary of Heritage High shooting
Two teens were shot and survived, while two other students were injured while running from the school.
Last year, Jacari Taylor, 16, pleaded guilty to taking a gun to school and shooting two of his classmates.
Taylor was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
“You really don't think that a gun would come into the school,” Bailey said.
This summer, News 3 reported on a multi-million-dollar lawsuit filed by two teachers against the Newport News School Board and Department of Education.
The teachers alleged their school did not do enough to prevent the shooting at Heritage High School.
And while they say they weren't shot, they claim they did suffer physical injury and mental anguish from the chaos.
The lawsuit states one of the teachers dove to the floor, hurting her legs after hearing the sound of gun shots.
A fall that, she said, two years later impaired her mobility, and she now has to use a walker.
The other teacher stated that she injured her wrist and knee after she hit the floor in a panic.
District officials told me last year that in the aftermath of the shooting, school leaders ramped up random searches in book bags and classrooms, increased the number of walk-through metal detectors at Heritage High School, brought in more presence with security officers, and created a new 24/7 anonymous reporting line for families.
This year, I reached out to Newport News Public Schools (NNPS) to talk about the lawsuit and safety measures since the 2021 Heritage High School shooting with their new superintendent, Dr. Michelle Mitchell, and Marc Stewart.
Last month, my colleague, Penny Kmitt, introduced you to Stewart, who came to NNPS in June as the district’s first-ever Executive Director of Crisis Prevention and Planning.
“The goal for me is for everyone to forget that we exist,” Stewart said. “I have extensive crisis management background, and a lot of people think that is taking care of a crisis after it occurs. But, 95 percent of what we do is prevention.”
A former Newport News Police officer and FBI agent, Stewart is taking a layered approach to security at NNPS. This includes the district bringing in free, mandatory clear backpacks for all students, and hiring more than 100 school security officers, in addition to 10 part-time substitute officers.
“In this day and age, we have to work hard to keep our students safe,” Stewart said.
An NNPS spokesperson said both Stewart and Dr. Mitchell weren't available for an on-camera interview with me, but did tell me, in addition to the clear backpacks and more security officers, the district has enhanced safety and security for students and staff by installing weapon detection systems in all schools, providing more security training for staff, and increasing collaboration with the city's police department and sheriff's office.
As for Bailey, he's now focused on his journey as a student at Norfolk State.
While the shooting sometimes crosses his mind, he said he looks at it as a testimony.
"It helped me grow and groomed me to understand that things happen in life,” Bailey said. “Life is always full of different expectations. Things will always happen when you least expect it. But, it's time to keep fighting, and to keep pushing to be the best that you can be.”
As of our previous story on July 28, an NNPS spokesperson told us they had not been served the lawsuit yet.
News 3 reached out to NNPS to confirm if the lawsuit had been served. As of Wednesday, we're still waiting for a response.
