Teacher hurt trying to stop school shooting
Man praised after tackling attacker; classmate injured
An Indiana middle school student armed with two handguns opens fire inside his science classroom, authorities say, wounding a classmate and a teacher whose swift intervention is credited with saving lives.
NOBLESVILLE, Ind. — An Indiana middle school student armed with two handguns opened fire inside his science classroom Friday, authorities said, wounding a classmate and a teacher whose swift intervention was credited with saving lives.
The shooter, who had asked to be dismissed from the class before returning with the guns, was arrested “extremely quickly” after the incident around 9 a.m. at Noblesville West Middle School, Police Chief Kevin Jowitt said. Authorities didn’t release his name but indicated he likely acted alone.
Seventh-grader Ethan Stonebraker said the student was acting suspiciously when he walked into the room while the class was taking a test. He said science teacher Jason Seaman likely averted a catastrophe.
“Our science teacher immediately ran at him, swatted a gun out of his hand and tackled him to the ground,” Stonebraker said. “If it weren’t for him, more of us would have been injured for sure.”
Stonebraker told ABC News that Seaman threw a basketball at the shooter and ran toward the bullets as screaming students sought cover behind a table.
He said he also knew the suspected gunman, whom he described as “a nice kid most of the times” and said he often joked with the classmates.
“It’s just a shock he would do something like that,” Stonebraker said.
The attack comes a week after an attack at a high school in Santa Fe that killed eight students and two teachers, and months after the school attack that killed 17 people in Parkland, Fla. The Florida attack inspired students from that school and others throughout the country to call for more restrictions on access to guns.
Seaman’s brother, Jeremy Seaman, told the Indianapolis Star that his brother was shot three times and was undergoing surgery. He said he was conscious after the shooting and talked with his wife, telling her he was OK.
Jeremy Seaman, who now lives in Arizona, said his brother was a defensive end for Southern Illinois University’s football team and has never been a person to run away.
Authorities released no information about conditions of the two victims.
Indiana University Health spokeswoman Danielle Sirilla said the teacher was taken to IU Health Methodist Hospital and the wounded student was taken to Riley Hospital for Children. She didn’t know the seriousness of their injuries.
Hours after the shooting, law enforcement agents sealed off part of an upscale neighborhood in Noblesville but weren’t commenting on whether the suspect lived there. Sandy McWilliams, a member of a landscaping crew working nearby, said six officers toting assault rifles entered a home.
“Our thoughts are with all those affected by this horrible situation,” Gov. Eric Holcomb said.