Teachers Lied About Student Struck By Gunfire: Report

MILWAUKEE, WI — Authorities in Milwaukee say a janitor had his gun go off inside a school, and that two school officials lied to a student's parents after the child was struck by the bullet.

Authorities say the incident happened at the St. Josaphat School, 801 W. Lincoln Ave. in Milwaukee on April 10 on the afternoon of April 5.

Investigators say school janitor Heriberto Martin - who was fired after the incident - took his .380-caliber semi-automatic pistol to school in order to fix an issue with the gun's slide mechanism. In speaking with police, Martin said he wanted to fix the gun at the school because he had access to the appropriate tools there.

According to the criminal complaint, Martin's gun went off as he was working on it. The bullet traveled through a wall, entered a neighboring classroom, missed a student's head by one foot, went through a second student's jacket and backpack before finally striking a third student in the side, where it caused only a small red mark.

Investigators said Martin admitted the incident to a teacher and that "he made a mistake and had no-one to blame but himself."

The Cover Up

Investigators say two women, Carolyn Trawitzki and Lisa Sarenac, both initially covered up the incident. Trawitzki had been a principal at St. Josaphat's for 22 years, but was working as a part-time teacher the day of the shooting. Sarenac, a teacher at the school, was serving as the acting administrator at the school on the day of the shooting. Investigators noted that Trawitzki is Sarenac's mother.

In their report, Sarenac was with Trawitzki when they took the student who had been struck by the bullet to the bathroom for treatment.

Police said Sarenac and Trawitzki initially lied to the student's parents about how their son got hurt, stating that there was a "malfunction of equipment at the school that damaged his child's backpack and jacket, and that the school would replace them."

Investigators say Sarenac admitted to neither calling police, nor reporting the incident to school officials. Investigators also said Sarenac only went to school officials on April 12 - two days after Trawitzki told her, "I don't like this, I feel like it's a cover-up."

According to the criminal complaint, the school's parish priest was informed of the incident on April 12. The priest went to authorities that day.

Prosecutors say Sarenac and Trawitzki violated state mandatory child mistreatment laws, and have been charged with failing to report child abuse/neglect in Milwaukee County Circuit Court.