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Hero teacher: Kids needed to be saved
An Indiana teacher shot while tackling a school gunman said his was ‘the only acceptable action.’
NOBLESVILLE, Ind. — 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-yearold 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 Whistler 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, though no other details about her injuries have been released.
Seaman, a native of Mahomet, Ill., is credited with stopping an armed student who entered his classroom at Noblesville West Middle School. Witnesses said the 29-year-old former Southern Illinois University 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 wellbeing. 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.
He wore a T-shirt emblazoned with the message: “#NOBStrong. You are the reason I teach.” His shirt also showed the wounded student’s initials, EW.
Police have said the shooter was quickly arrested following the shooting and didn’t appear to be injured. His name hasn’t been released.
“We’re so grateful for Jason’s quick and brave actions,” Noblesville Schools Superintendent Beth Niedermeyer said during the news conference. “He put his own life in danger for his students. That alone tells you about his character and his big heart.”
A school nurse and a resource officer immediately treated 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.