Teacher who fired gun apologizes
SEASIDE >> They came to be heard and nothing would stop them.
Current and former students, some parents, colleagues, friends and neighbors spoke on behalf of the man embroiled in the national dialogue about guns in schools on Thursday night.
Over 100 students, referring to themselves as “the family,” came out in force to support teacher, council member and reserve police officer, Dennis Alexander, who discharged his firearm into the ceiling of his classroom over the heads of about 20 students on Tuesday, injuring three.
“Look around, I’m part of a big family. Family is forever, mistakes are temporary,” said Sydney Johnson, 16, Seaside High School junior. “We stand with Mr. Alexander.”
The Seaside council meeting began Thursday with Alexander addressing the elephant in the living room. Speaking to the packed chambers and overflow crowd, the mayor pro-tem apologized for his actions at his teaching job at Seaside High School earlier in the week.
“I first of all want to apologize from the bottom of my heart. Apologize to this community, to MPUSD — Monterey Peninsula Unified School District, Seaside High School, students, everybody on this dais, city staff … everybody in this whole community for the incident that happened the other day. … I can’t find the words to say how sorry I am for the incident.
“I also want to thank all of those who showed support, it helps a lot, it gets me through the day… I just had to get those words out there.”
Alexander was in his administration of justice class when he inadvertently discharged his firearm into the classroom ceiling causing debris to fall and injuring three students.
Alexander is also Seaside’s mayor pro-tem, and a reserve police officer for Sand City.
According to Seaside Police Chief Abdul Pridgen, the gun Alexander discharged in his classroom was his Sand City police-issued weapon.
Pridgen said the police investigation is ongoing but may be wrapped up by the end of next week with the findings presented to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office.
California law prohibits firearms on campus except for authorized law enforcement or security personnel. Since Jan. 1, not even California school employees with concealed carry permits can bring firearms on campus.
The DA will be able to determine what charges should be brought, if any, and what they might be, said the police chief.
“(Alexander’s) a trained police officer. If it can happen to him, it can happen to an untrained teacher,” one speaker pointed out.
But the Seaside High School students, who have also found their voice, focused for now on keeping Alexander on as their teacher.
In voicing their support for Alexander, the students shared personal stories of how he helped, encouraged and mentored them. Some credit the teacher with saving them by just being available to talk about troubles in their lives. Others said his mentoring took them in successful directions they never considered for themselves.
Many students gave their words of support through tears. One young man called Alexander “a real-life Superman” who has changed many lives, including his brother’s, who “was in trouble a lot, but because of Mr. Alexander, he’s in the police academy now, the top of his class. He saved my brother’s life.”
But at least one speaker stood up to give a different point of view. She said she was a mother of a student, and as a parent, she has a right to feel scared about losing a child to gun violence.
For his part, Alexander said he was astonished by the turnout.
“I really love all of you here,” Alexander said. “I enjoy teaching you so much. I look forward to going to work everyday and I hope that I touch lives and I’m feeling that I did. I try the best I can, especially when things are happening in our country, to show you what law enforcement is all about and that you understand public safety… And again, I said it before, any undo stress that this has caused the community, I am deeply sorry for.”