Former Olathe East student sentenced to 20 years in prison after 2022 school shooting
A former Olathe East High School student who brought a gun into the high school and shot and injured a school resource officer was sentenced Wednesday to 20 years in prison.
Jaylon Desean Elmore, 21, pleaded guilty in January to attempted premeditated first-degree murder and firearm possession by a felon. He was initially also charged with two counts of misdemeanor criminal use of a weapon.
Appearing in a packed Johnson County courtroom Wednesday afternoon, Elmore fidgeted and swiveled back and forth in his chair as attorneys on both sides expressed their support for the 240-month sentence, based on a plea deal worked out in January.
On March 4, 2022, an Olathe East student told an administrator that a student identified as Elmore had brought a gun to school in his backpack, according to court records. Elmore, then an 18-year-old senior, was summoned to a meeting with administrators — including assistant principal Kaleb Stoppel and SRO and Olathe police officer Erik Clark — who attempted to search Elmore’s backpack.
While attempting to refuse the backpack search, Elmore retrieved a gun from the bag and fired about five rounds, hitting Clark in the chest and leg, according to court records. Clark then returned fire, hitting Elmore and Stoppel, court records read.
“I think things could have been handled better by the school,” Carl Cornwell II, an attorney for Elmore, told the court Wednesday. “But we don’t blame the victim.”
Olathe East was placed on lockdown during the shooting and for several hours afterwards. All three people injured by gunfire were hospitalized.
All three survived, with Elmore undergoing multiple surgeries, according to court records. Stoppel has since left the field of education, Stephen Howe, the Johnson County District Attorney, said Wednesday.
In a statement to Judge Thomas Kelly Ryan and the court before his sentence was handed down, Elmore expressed regret for his role in the shooting and for bringing the gun to Olathe East. Standing tall with his ankles cuffed together, Elmore asked for forgiveness from the victims and the Olathe community.
“I never wanted to cause so much pain and sadness in people’s lives,” Elmore said. “…I apologize for all the tears and trauma that it caused to the families, the community and to my family.”
Both Clark and Stoppel attended Elmore’s sentencing hearing, though they declined to speak or submit written victim statements to the court. However, both were in favor of the 240-year sentence, according to Howe.
“It’s going to allow all three victims some closure,” Howe told the court. “It’s not going to end the impact this has had on their lives.”
Elmore has been in the custody of the Johnson County Detention Center since he was discharged from the hospital in May 2022. He initially pleaded not guilty to all charges in February 2023.
During the shooting, at least one police body camera in the room was hit by a bullet, which prevented the footage from being reviewed but created physical evidence of the shooting, Cornwell said.
Without the plea deal, Elmore likely would have faced a “Hard 25”, or a life sentence with a minimum of 25 years before eligibility for parole, Cornwell said.
“One of the unfortunate issues with a charge that is off-grid and is a ‘Hard 25’ is that there is really no way to get around that,” Cornwell said. “[Elmore] has made up his mind. He’s accepted responsibility.”
Shortly before the shooting, Elmore had transferred to Olathe East from the Bonner Springs-Edwardsville School District, where he had played varsity football and run track. Elmore confirmed at Wednesday’s hearing that he has two prior convictions, including a juvenile conviction for robbery in Wyandotte County juvenile court.
Renee Steele, who identified herself as a family friend, told the court Wednesday that Elmore had been unhoused at the time of the shooting and had likely been carrying the weapon on his person for weeks, including while at school.
“I believe Mr. Elmore was living in a state of fear prior to the incident,” Steele said.
Steele was later rebuked by Judge Ryan for attempting to argue details of Elmore’s case after a guilty plea had been entered. Cornwell told the court that he had previously asked Steele to cease involvement in Elmore’s legal case.
Upon release from prison, Elmore will be required to register with the state of Kansas as a violent offender. He has already served 1,112 days of his 20-year sentence.
Neither of the shooting victims has applied for financial restitution as of Wednesday, according to Howe.
Previous reporting by The Star’s Jenna Thompson, Robert A. Cronkleton and Laura Bauer contributed to this article.
