SPARKS, Nev. (AP) — A student at a Nevada middle school
opened fire with a semi-automatic handgun on campus just before the starting
bell Monday, wounding two 12-year-old boys and killing a math teacher who was
trying to protect children from their classmate.
The unidentified shooter killed himself with the gun after a
rampage that occurred in front of 20 to 30 horrified students who had just
returned to school from a weeklong fall break. Authorities did not provide a
motive for the shooting, and it's unknown where the student got the gun.
Teacher Michael Landsberry was being hailed for his actions
outside Sparks Middle School during the shooting.
"In my estimation, he is a hero. ... We do know he was
trying to intervene," Reno Deputy Police Chief Tom Robinson said.
Both wounded students were listed in stable condition. One
was shot in the shoulder, and the other was hit in the abdomen.
The violence erupted nearly a year after a gunman shocked
the nation by opening fire in Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.,
leaving 26 dead. The Dec. 14 shooting ignited debate over how best to protect
the nation's schools and whether armed teachers should be part of that
equation.
Landsberry, 45, was a military veteran and leaves behind a
wife and two stepdaughters. Sparks Mayor Geno Martini said Landsberry served
two tours in Afghanistan with the Nevada National Guard.
On his school website, Landsberry posted a picture of a
brown bear and took on a tough-love tone, telling students, "I have one
classroom rule and it is very simple: 'Thou Shall Not Annoy Mr. L.'"
"The kids loved him," his sister-in-law Chanda
Landsberry said.
She added his life could be summed up by his love of his
family, his students and his country.
"To hear that he was trying to stop that is not surprising
by any means," she said.
Police said 150 to 200 officers responded to the shooting,
including some from as far as 60 miles away. Students from the middle school
and neighboring elementary school were evacuated to the nearby high school, and
classes were canceled. The middle school will remain closed for the week.
"As you can imagine, the best description is
chaos," Robinson said. "It's too early to say whether he was
targeting people or going on an indiscriminate shooting spree."
At the evacuation center, parents comforted their children.
"We came flying down here to get our kids," said
Mike Fiorica, whose nephew attends the school. "You can imagine how
parents are feeling. You don't know if your kid's OK."
The shooting happened on the school's campus and ended
outside the school building, according to police.
"I was deeply saddened to learn of the horrific
shooting at Sparks Middle School this morning," Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval
said in a statement extending his thoughts and prayers to those affected.
About 700 students in 7th and 8th grades are enrolled at the
school, in a working class neighborhood.
"It's not supposed to happen here," Chanda
Landsberry said. "We're just Sparks — little Sparks, Nevada. It's
unreal."
A statement from Nicole Hockley, whose son Dylan was killed
in the Connecticut shooting, appeared on the website of gun control advocacy
group Sandy Hook Promise. "It's moments like this that demand that we
unite as parents to find commonsense solutions that keep our children — all children
— safe, and prevent these tragedies from happening again and again," the
statement said.
The Washoe County School District held a session in the
spring in light of the Newtown tragedy to educate parents on its safety
measures. The district has its own 38-officer police department. No officers
were on campus at the time of the shooting.
Sparks, a city of roughly 90,000 that sprung out of the
railway industry, is just east of Reno.
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Associated Press writer Michelle Rindels in Las Vegas and
news researcher Rhonda Shafner in New York contributed to this report.
Courtesy of: AP News
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