Security officer shot in McKinley High School attack prepares to return to work one year later
Buffalo NY February 10 2023 One year ago, a teenager was stabbed ten times outside McKinley High School in Buffalo and a security officer was shot in the leg trying to save him from the violence.
News 4’s Kelsey Anderson sat down with that officer, Brad Walker, who relived the chaos.
“The day was actually really quiet,” Walker said.
Walker said Feb. 9, 2022 was a normal school day, until dismissal time. He noticed there were a lot of students standing around outside… more than usual.
“I went and asked one student and said, ‘You’re supposed to be on your bus… where’s your bus?” he said. “And (the student) said, ‘Oh we missed our bus.” It was weird because our kids don’t miss their buses, they’re ready to go.”
Five minutes later, a group of kids started running. And that’s when a 14-year-old was attacked.
Walker sprinted into action.
“I was very close to him,” he said.
Walker was just mere feet from the attack to help Sirgio when he heard gunshots.
“As soon as I heard it, I felt it in my left leg and I stopped running,” Walker said. “And when I stopped, I looked down and saw a hole in my leg.”
The security officer fell to the ground and did what he could in that moment: he yelled for students to run. He then shoved himself in between two bushes against the school as his leg bled.
“He fired at me probably two more times.”
A fellow officer named Jen grabbed snow and applied that and pressure on his wound until police arrived.
Walker still walks with a slight limp a year after surgery and said a scar on his thigh is permanent. But he refuses to let this tragedy stifle his spirit.
Today, he talks openly about the positives of going to therapy, which has helped him immensely.
“I think the scary thing is for a lot of people is, ‘I can’t connect with a stranger, what does she know about what I’ve been through?’” he said. “But that’s exactly what we need. We need to talk to people who have no judgement, that’s there to professionally help you. When you get that help and it helps so much… and then you spread the word to other people, that’s how you grow as a community.”
He said his therapist has given him important tools to help with his diagnosed PTSD and anxiety. Other tools have helped as well. He said increased security, like metal detectors being installed across the district have given him the confidence to return as a security officer for BPS in the near future.
“I believe I was put on this earth to help people, because that brings me the most joy,” Walker said. “So if I keep doing that, I’ll be ok.”
Brad thanks his family for all their support in the last year, both his parents and his brother. He also thanks all the students and staff at McKinley HS for all their messages of love and support.
