Science teacher Jason Seaman wrestled the gun away from the shooter at Noblesville West Middle School in Indiana on Friday morning, parents and students told the Indianapolis Star. Seaman and a 13-year-old girl suffered gunshot wounds, with their condition as of yet unclear.
The suspect, a male student, is currently in custody and a criminal investigation is underway, said Noblesville Police Chief Kevin Jowitt. The Indy Star is following the incident live.
In a press conference on Friday afternoon, Jowitt said that police are still learning details about the shooting, but they know that the suspect asked to be excused from his class on Friday morning, and then returned armed with two handguns.
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Seaman has taught for Noblesville schools almost four years and coaches football for seventh-graders. "He's a hero in my mind," Seaman's neighbor Steve Vedder told the Indy Star. "Our prayers are with him and his family."
I just talked to the teacher's neighbor, Steve Vedder, who said Jason Seaman is a "really, really nice guy" with two young children.
— Emma Kate Fittes (@IndyEmmaKate) May 25, 2018
"He's a hero in my mind... our prayers are with him and his family." https://t.co/0PLz4385wp
This is the latest in a long string of recent school shootings, the deadliest among them last week's at Santa Fe High School in Texas and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida in February. While the gun lobby has tried to push the "good guy with a gun" narrative and spoken in favor of arming teachers, gun-safety advocates argue that will result in students being killed or injured in crossfire.
In the case of Seaman — and James Shaw Jr., who wrestled the AR-15 away from the Waffle House shooter last month — it was an unarmed civilian who helped prevent murders.