CINCINNATI — Jyeon Starr lives in a home with a firearm.
The Dohn Community High School junior said the gun belongs to his mom and stays out of reach, but that doesn't mean he isn't aware of the risks of guns ending up in inexperienced hands.
"You could really die from playing with guns," Starr said. "Kids — they find guns, see guns in the house, start playing with them and a shot goes off. They hit their brother, they hit their sister or they hit (themselves)."
Though he has another two years before he walks across the stage, Starr already has one graduation under his belt. He took and completed a gun safety class, which in turn earned him one credit toward his high school diploma.
"No school system (has) this going on right now. I'm glad we're leading this effort on cutting back on gun violence," Rufus Johnson said.
Johnson, a certified firearms instructor, has been advocating for Cincinnati youth for nearly three decades. He partnered with Dohn Community High School five years ago to launch the gun safety program for staff and students.
It's a targeted, hands-on approach to combat rising youth gun violence, he said.
"It's all about reach one, teach one," Johnson said. "That's why when we involve the youth, we involve the youth to be safety ambassadors so they can carry the message."
Though he's held the training for years now, he said efforts to educate teens on safe handling and storage are a growing need.
Juvenile shootings in Cincinnati are the highest in a decade and are on pace to be the worst on record. Of the at least 45 teens shot so far in 2023, six have died.
In late September, 15-year-old Jamir Thompkins was killed in a double shooting in Bond Hill. CPD's Homicide Unit along with officers from the Crime Gun Intelligence Center arrested and charged a 16-year-old with Thompkins' murder one week later.
"It puts me in fear constantly," said Nevaeh Lovecody, another junior. "If you're arguing with somebody and it ends there, leave it there. you had an argument at school, leave it there. Why is it being taken outside of school?"
Lovecody is one of Johnson's safety ambassadors. She also completed the course and helps other students navigate through the test.
"How to properly hold a gun how to dispose of it if it was found ... take it to the police, tell an adult," she said.
While Johnson focuses on gun safety with students, he also hosts active shooter training at the school.
He oversaw a drill Wednesday with the help of the school's head of security playing the role of an active shooter. Students went through rotations testing their response in different scenarios, either barricading the classroom door, securing the door and going into lockdown or even confronting the shooter.
"This could actually be a situation because you never really know what's going through someone's mind," said Lovecody.
