- Times Leader

First Posted:

Gunfire in Plymouth over the past two months that left four people dead and three others wounded has officials at Wyoming Valley West High School on edge.

“It’s a concern to us the number of shootings and incidents going on in Plymouth. It’s scary the number of firearms that are out there,” said Charles Suppon, superintendent of the Wyoming Valley West School District, whose high school is in Plymouth.

Suppon said he met with the Plymouth police chief and the school resource officer after a July 7 shooting inside an apartment building at First and Orchard streets where three people were killed and a fourth wounded.

That shooting was about a mile from the high school. Security strategies and response plans were hashed out at the time, though Suppon declined to be specific other than to say they included pro-active planning and implementing a response if the school had to be reactive.

The latest incident, which occurred early Sunday morning at Bonnie’s Bar on Main Street and left one person dead and two wounded, took place about a half-mile from the high school.

Suppon said even though no parents or staff members have approached him about the shootings, he’s sure there is apprehension in the school community.

“I’m assuming there’s concern because of the increase in violence occurring in the area around the high school,” Suppon said.

He said it should be noted that neither incident involved a district student or a district facility, but with students walking to and from school each day, there is a concern about safety in the vicinity of the school.