Jose Reyes has officially been identified as the Sparks Middle School shooter.
Reyes, a seventh grader who was 12 years old, allegedly shot three people in Nevada on Monday. One of the victims, beloved math teacher Michael Landsberry, died after being shot in the chest.
Reyes also died, after shooting himself.
The two other victims, both students, are recovering. One has remained unidentified, and the other has been identified as Mason, son of Jenifer Davis.
The city of Sparks said on Thursday that it confirms that the name of the shooter is Jose Reyes.
The name had been circulating for days among students and others in Sparks online and offline, but hadn’t been officially confirmed.
Police refused to release the name.
Not much is known about Reyes. Hours of searching for information about him over several days turned up little.
People commenting on the Facebook pages of local media outlets disagreed about the circumstances surrounding the shooting, such as whether Reyes was bullied or not.
One local resident, Kaylynn Crawford, said that Reyes was a 4.0 student and hadn’t missed a day of school. She said that he was being bullied for his stutter.
Kara Wilson, another local, said that the shooter had just started school in August.
“I think its sad also how everyone only talks about the teacher and how he will be missed,” she said. “What about the 12 year old who took his own life because of other kids bullying him.”
Police have confirmed that the shooter obtained the gun, a 9 mm semi-automatic, from his parents. The parents could face charges under Nevada laws, including one law that states that people who fail to properly secure their guns when children are present could face misdemeanor charges, reported the Reno Gazette-Journal. Another law says that if the adult knows the child might commit a violent act with a gun, it could mean felony charges.
Numerous students who witnessed the shootings, which took place outside by the basketball court, said that they were shocked by what happened.
Police have been interviewing dozens of students who saw the shootings.
“We’re still investigating how this all happened,” said Sparks police Lt. Erick Thomas. “We are investigating the motives, all the facts and circumstances that both led up to it and were involved in it.”
“It’s a very complicated investigation as far as the number of witnesses and the seriousness of the crime.”
Thomas, the lead investigator in the case that also involves Reno police and Washoe County School District police, said he couldn’t comment on some reports from fellow students that bullying may have played a role in the shooting.
“I can’t release any information on any provocation or anything like that.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
