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ST. LOUIS — A boy shot in his hands, with a bullet lodged in his jaw, escaped the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ school attack Monday by jumping out a window and scaling a fence, his aunt said.

Brian Collins, 15, was released from the hospital Tuesday night.

“The bullet to his jaw was centimeters from a major artery, so it’s truly an act of God that he didn’t die and didn’t require surgery,� Brian’s godmother and aunt, Stephanie Malia Krauss, told the Post-Dispatch on Wednesday.

Shortly after 9 a.m. Monday, a gunman armed with an AR-15-style rifle burst into Brian’s health class at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in south ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½.

The gunman, Orlando Harris, fatally shot Brian’s teacher, Jean Kuczka. The teacher stepped in front of the gunman to protect her students, Kuczka’s daughter was told.

Gunfire hit Brian’s hands and his face.

“A heroic student somehow opened the window in the middle of all of that, and that is how Brian was able to get out,� Krauss said.

The rampage killed Kuczka and 15-year-old Alexzandria Bell, who was found dead in a hallway. Authorities haven’t said if the shooter, killed by police, was targeting victims or firing randomly.

Brian was treated at ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Children’s Hospital and is home recuperating, Krauss said. He has a long recovery ahead. The bullet remains in his jaw.

Krauss has organized a to raise money for Brian’s family, to help cover his immediate and long-term medical costs and other expenses, such as clothes that are easy to pull on and occupational therapy. Brian’s long-term recovery needs are undetermined, Krauss said.

In addition to Brian, police said two other 15-year-old boys suffered gunshot wounds, including one boy who underwent surgery. A bullet grazed a 16-year-old girl. Police have not released updates on the injured. Two more students had abrasions, and one broke an ankle.

The student who opened the window in the third-floor health class was among the shooting victims; he is a 15-year-old boy who is Brian’s friend, Krauss said.

Brian transferred to Central high school earlier this fall. His mom, older brother and older sister all graduated from Central, which is at Arsenal Street and South Kingshighway near Tower Grove Park. Central shares a campus with Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience.

Brian came to Central because of his love of art. Brian is an incredible artist with pencil charcoal drawings showing fine details, Krauss said.

“He has both arms in splints from the fingers all the way up past the elbow,� she said. “There’s no way of knowing the extent of the injuries until follow-up appointments and the swelling goes down. We’re not going to know for a couple of weeks.�

Brian also is considering a culinary career. His signature dish is cheesecake.

“In our house, he is the pancake flipper and the egg maker,� Krauss joked.

Another of Brian’s hobbies that takes finger dexterity is gaming. He worked at the science center over the summer and saved money to buy gaming equipment.

Krauss said her son, 9, thinks Brian is a superhero for his escape out a window and over a fence after being shot.

Police rushed into the school minutes after getting the “active shooter� call, confronted Harris on the third floor and killed him in an exchange of gunfire. Police said Harris, 19, was a former student who left behind notes describing himself as a loner with no friends. Authorities haven’t said where Harris got the gun or the 600 rounds of ammunition.