Dear AUSD Staff and Families,

Many of you have no doubt heard the very sad news that an AUSD first grader, William Killian, along with his mother and grandparents, was killed in a shooting incident Wednesday evening. The student’s 15-month old brother was critically injured.[Update: On July 15, 2024, the brother, Wesley, died of his injuries in a local hospital.]

This incident is being heavily covered by both traditional and social media, and we wanted to follow up with information on how we are responding to this tragic incident and what resources are available for children and/or adults who need support processing it.

AUSD staff began monitoring the incident after news broke about it late Wednesday night, and we reached out to the Alameda Police Department and other city officials on Thursday morning. Once we confirmed that one of our students was involved in the incident, we contacted the administrators of the site he attended, and then sent messages to the staff and family of that school. Those messages included an acknowledgment of the traumatic nature of this incident, as well as links to mental health resources and guidance on talking to students about gun violence. We  are also exploring the possibility of having counselors on campus next week for staff and families alike.

 

On Sunday, July 14, we also learned that William's mother, Brenda Morales, had been a student at the Alameda Adult School. We will also be providing supports and resources to that community.

The death of a student is always hard, but the circumstances surrounding the passing of this young student and his family are especially traumatic. If you or your children or students you know are struggling to process this, please know you can get support from our Care Solace program. Other mental health supports – including free, 24/7 hotlines – are available on our Mental Health Resources page. Our Tools for Family Conversations page also provides links to a number of resources on talking to students about gun violence and homicide.

Alameda is a small town, and news like this spreads quickly. So, too, do the emotional reverberations of such tragedies. We encourage you to stay connected to family and friends in the coming days, to stay alert to signs of emotional distress in your children and yourself, and to seek support if you need it. As a community, Alameda has shown itself to be strong, kind, and generous time and time again, and I hope we all can draw on those qualities to help ourselves and each other process this terrible incident.

In community and partnership,

Pasquale Scuderi
Superintendent