Preliminary hearing set for accused Olathe East HS shooter

OLATHE, Kan. — The Johnson County District Attorney will begin presenting his case against a teenager charged with a shooting inside Olathe East High School later this year.

Jaylon Elmore is charged with attempted capital murder in the March 4 shooting.

A Johnson County judge scheduled the preliminary hearing in the case to begin Dec. 12. During the hearing, prosecutors must present enough evidence to show there is probable cause that Elmore committed the crime. If the judge determines that burden of proof is met, the case can proceed to trial.

Elmore has either been hospitalized or in jail since prosecutors said he was injured in the shooting. Court records show he is held on $1 million bond.

If Elmore would be able to post bond and released on bail before the trial, court records show he would be placed on house arrest with GPS monitoring.

Elmore suffered significant injuries in the March 4 shooting inside an office at Olathe East High School. According to a case review by the Johnson County District Attorney, Elmore was struck by bullets in his abdomen and left thigh.

The report also cleared School Resource Office Erik Clark who returned fire, and as prosecutors say, shot and injured Elmore.

Clark was shot four times. One of the bullets hit his body camera, destroying it. The other three bullets caused three gunshot wounds, according to the district attorney’s report.

The report states assistant principal Dr. Kaleb Stoppel suffered two gunshot injuries and was likely hit by bullets fired from Clark’s weapon. One bullet hit Stoppel in the thigh and the other in his forearm.

Court records show the shooting started when Stoppel and Clark confronted Elmore in an officer about a report that he had a gun in his backpack. Documents show Elmore pulled the weapon out of his bag and started shooting. The entire incident lasted a matter of seconds, according to the DA.