Teacher who stopped attack says he had to save students
NOBLESVILLE, Indiana — A suburban Indianapolis teacher who was shot while tackling and disarming a student inside his classroom said Monday that his swift decisions “were the only acceptable actions” to save his seventh-grade students.
Jason Seaman, speaking publicly for the first time since the shooting Friday, thanked the Noblesville community for its support and stressed that he wanted the focus to be on the other person shot during the incident: 13-year-old student Ella Whistler, who was seriously wounded.
“Her courage and strength at such a young age is nothing short of remarkable,” Seaman said during a news conference at the school district’s administrative building. “We all should continue to keep her in our minds as she continues to recover.”
School officials said Monday that Ella was improving and making progress while recovering at an Indianapolis hospital. Her family has said she was in critical but stable condition following the shooting.
Seaman is credited with stopping an armed student who entered his classroom at Noblesville West Middle School. Witnesses said the 29-year-old former college football player ran toward bullets as he tackled the student. Seaman was shot three times, according to his brother.
“I want to make it clear that my actions on that day, in my mind, were the only acceptable actions I could have done given the circumstances,” Seaman said Monday. “I deeply care for my students and their well-being. That is why I did what I did that day.”
Seaman, who was released from the hospital Saturday, didn’t appear to show any pain or other sign of his injuries during the news conference. He spoke for just a few minutes and declined to answer questions from reporters.
Police have said the shooter was quickly arrested following the shooting and didn’t appear to be injured. His name hasn’t been released.
A school nurse and a school resource officer immediately provided medial attention to the injured, said Noblesville West Middle School principal Stacey Shaw.
“Jason Seaman is a hero, no doubt. But he is only one of the heroes I saw on this day,” Shaw said.
After the news conference, Seaman attended a Noblesville High School baseball game, highfiving students, including many who cried when they saw him for the first time since the shooting.
An online fundraiser for Seaman started by a high school student totalled more than $72,000 US by midday Monday, surpassing the original goal of $55,000. Donations ranged from $10 to more than $3,000.