This article is one of a series of articles produced by Word in Black through support provided by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Word In Black is a collaborative of 10 Black-owned media outlets across the country.
by Quintessa Williams
School shootings across the nation have long been a source of deep-seated anxiety for students, parents, and educators. But beneath the surface of this national crisis lies a troubling disparity: how Black students are perceived and treated in the aftermath of these tragedies.
Earlier this month, tragedy struck a Georgia high school when two students and two teachers lost their in a deadly mass shooting. The shooter, 14-year-old Colt Gray, was arrested and has been charged as an adult.
The shooting reignited a nationwide debate on school gun violence and overall student safety. But the incident has also reawakened conversations on how race plays a role in the treatment of shooters and victims.
Shortly after law enforcement announced the shooter’s name and age, WSB-TV, a news station in Atlanta, posted an article on Twitter using a photo of Mason Schermerhorn, the 14-year-old Black victim in the shooting, with the caption, “A 14-year-old suspect, Colt Gray, was arrested.” The Daily Mail and The US Sun also made the same mistake, misidentifying the Black student killed in the attack as the alleged shooter. All posts have since been deleted, and WSB-TV released a statement online apologizing for the ‘error.’
However, Allison Wiltz, one of the journalists who first reported the story, tells Word In Black that this case of mistaken identity reeks of racial connotations.
“Spilling a glass of milk is not the same as portraying a homicide victim as the perpetrator,” Wiltz says. “While the former only requires a mop to clean, the other has a messier consequence. Even though Mason became a victim of gun violence, many Americans saw his face for the first time and portrayed him as the suspect of a horrendous crime.”
The National Association of Black Journalists also released a statement encouraging news outlets to “take all necessary measures to minimize any potential harm by ensuring that all forms of content shared are accurate.”
“NABJ was concerned to learn that local news station WSB-TV posted a 14-year-old Black male’s image on social media that portrayed him as the suspect rather than the victim of the shooting. In an age where images of Black men and boys are still unfortunately associated with violence and crime, we remind our colleagues in the industry to be sensitive and aware.”
Black Victims, White Shooters
In mass shootings, specifically school-related, racial identity can dramatically influence how shooters and victims are perceived. Gray, despite being involved in a 2023 investigation over online threats of violence, faced no significant repercussions before the Sept. 4 shooting. His eventual surrender to law enforcement after the shooting further highlights how white shooters often benefit from a “gentler” apprehension by police compared to Black individuals, who are far more likely to face violence during police encounters.
“Two students and two teachers were killed in the Georgia school shooting, and nine more suffered injuries. And yet, the irony isn’t lost on the Black community that the only victim whose image was mistakenly paired with the suspect’s identity was Mason, the Black student,” Wiltz says.
Mistaken identity and the over-criminalization of Black students are not isolated occurrences. In 2015, Ahmed Mohamed, a 14-year-old Black Muslim student, was arrested in Texas for bringing a homemade clock to school, which was falsely assumed to be a bomb. Despite explaining the situation, he was handcuffed, arrested, and suspended. The same year, a Black student at Spring Valley High School in South Carolina was violently arrested by a school resource officer after refusing to leave the classroom. Though she was a victim of excessive force, she was charged with disturbing the school.
In 2016, 11 Black children at Hobgood Elementary in Tennessee were arrested for failing to stop a fight that involved two students. Despite their lack of direct involvement, these children were taken to a juvenile detention center, sparking outrage over the racial response to what should have been a routine school matter.
Black Students and Gun Violence: A Nationwide Crisis
According to CNN’s analysis of events reported by the Gun Violence Archive, Education Week, and Everytown for Gun Safety, there have been at least 46 school shootings in the United States so far this year — 33 of which were on K-12 school grounds.
The disproportionate criminalization of Black students is compounded by the reality that they are more severely impacted by gun violence in both their schools and communities. A report from the Giffords Law Center found that nearly 84% of gun deaths among Black children are gun homicides, and, in 2022, Black children were more than 18 times more likely to be killed in a gun homicide than white children.
How Do Black Students Cope With School Shootings?
Donnell Suggs, a Georgia school parent and editor-in-chief for The Atlanta Voice, says the recent school shooting in Georgia led to one of the hardest conversations he’s had with his 10-year-old son.
“My son is a real 10-year-old who still plays Uno and watches cartoons,” Suggs says. “But I had to tell him as I always have to be careful and keep your eyes open. It’s scary that I even had to talk to him about this, especially at his age. But the shooter was only four years older than my son. And that’s why I decided to talk to him about it.”
In the wake of school shootings, the psychological toll on Black students runs deep. For those who survive such incidents, the trauma can manifest in lasting anxiety, fear, and mistrust. Research shows that students impacted by school shootings, particularly in majority-minority schools, face significant academic challenges.
According to a 2022 report in The National Bureau of Economic Research, survivors of school shootings are 124.5% more likely to repeat a grade and 27.8% more likely to be chronically absent compared to their peers.
Dr. Sonali Ranjan, an expert in health education from Columbia University, emphasizes the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in Black and Brown communities, noting that exposure to gun violence is considered an ACE.
“An estimated 30% of children report experiencing at least one ACE, which also disproportionately impacts children of color,” Ranjan says. “However, sufficient and ready access to these kinds of support services has always been hard to come by (particularly in communities where ACEs are the most prevalent). This often is the case in the aftermath of school shootings, where access to needed short- and, importantly, long-term supports for victims and survivors alike are not sufficient.”
Where Do We Go From Here?
Dr. Ranjan tells Word In Black that while she’s seen improvements, additional resources and support will continue to be needed to address the impact such trauma can have on children, especially those from Black and Brown communities.
Wiltz says that as the conversation around school gun violence continues, it’s crucial to address the racial disparities that impact how Black students are perceived, treated, and supported.
“The racial connotations of how Black students are perceived will only leave them to question whether their schools are truly safe places for them to learn and grow,” Wiltz says. “The systemic over-policing and criminalization of Black students must be confronted alongside the larger issues of school safety and gun control.”
