Clark-Pleasant school district issues statement following shooting death of student
WHITELAND, Ind. (WISH) — The Clark-Pleasant Community School Corporation said Friday it was saddened for the family of Temario Stokes Jr., the 16-year-old Whiteland Community High School sophomore who was shot and killed Thursday in Greenwood.
The school district also acknowledged in a statement provided to News 8 that the man arrested in connection with Stokes’ death, 18-year-old Tyrique Radford El, was a former student.
August 25th 2022, was an extremely difficult day for the Clark-Pleasant school community. As you know we lost a young man, a sophomore at Whiteland High School, who at just 16 years of age, had a long life ahead of him. We are all saddened especially for the Temario Stokes Jr’s’ family and we want them to know that they will be in our thoughts and prayers as we work through this together. We will support the family in any way that we possibly can, as a school community. We were also saddened to hear that the alleged suspect, Tyrique Radford El, is a former student.
We are grateful to members of our law enforcement community, especially Greenwood Police, who responded rapidly and handled the investigation professionally. We would also like to thank the other Johnson County police agencies who responded, including those who assisted our Clark-Pleasant Police Department in securing our buildings during Thursday’s lockdown.
“The bottom line is that no teenager or student anywhere should ever have to face a tragedy like this,” stated Superintendent Patrick Spray. “Young people need to know that differences can be settled in other ways and that violence is never the appropriate response to any dispute.”
CPCSC has mental health professionals and area faith leaders who will be available today and as long as it takes to help any students or staff members process this tragic event.
“When you speak to your children, let them know that the adults in their lives, including their family members, teachers, school administrators, ministers and others who love them, are doing everything they can to keep them safe,” concluded Dr. Spray.
Police were still investigating the fatal shooting.