The gun is believed to be the same AR-15-style rifle that Harris fired inside Central Visual and Performing Arts High School on Monday, Sack told reporters. But how Harris recovered the gun is a question detectives are still trying to answer.
“The mother at the time wanted him out of the house, so they made it easy,” Sack said. “How he acquired it after that, we don’t know.”
Police do not know how long Harris possessed the gun before his family called police to take it away. Harris died Monday after a shootout with police.
Police told The Washington Post in an email that on Oct. 15 — nine days before the shooting — officers who arrived at Harris’ residence believed he was legally entitled to possess the gun. Police did not respond to specific questions about why they gave the gun to a third party or that person’s relationship to the suspect. They also said they were unable to answer follow-up questions about how Harris got the gun.
New details of firearms lawfully obtained by police indicate Harris was targeting his alma mater a day after authorities revealed the man carried 600 rounds of ammunition during the rampage and left a note inside the vehicle he drove to school, hinting at a possible motive.
Sack read part of the memo at a Tuesday press conference: “I have no friends. I have no family. I never had a girlfriend. I never had a social life. I’ve been a lone loner all my life,” Harris wrote, adding that it was “a perfect storm for a mass shooter.”
But new information shared by police on Wednesday shows Harris’ family are concerned about him, Sack said.
The family, who knew he had a gun and were concerned about him, went through his mail, checked his room and monitored his interactions with other people, police said.
“They had worked with mental health facilities in the area,” Sack told reporters. “They put him in touch with medical professionals. They had supported him… They did everything they could have done, but sometimes it’s not enough.
