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Seattle, Washington:
A student fired off two shots inside a Washington state high school on Monday and was tackled by a teacher before anyone was hurt, averting a potentially deadly tragedy, police and students said.
The 16-year-old student, armed with a revolver, shot off two rounds that struck the floor and ceiling inside a stairwell at North Thurston High School in Lacey, just outside Olympia, Lacey police commander Joe Upton said.
A government teacher at the school, identified as Brady Olson, tackled the boy before more shots could be fired, and police took the teen into custody just before 8 a.m., authorities said. Nobody was hurt.
The incident marked the latest in a series of campus shootings that have sparked a national conversation about school safety, and came months after a student opened fire at another Washington state high school, fatally shooting four people before turning the gun on himself.
"I reacted in a way that any other teacher would react and at the sound of a gunshot, ... going toward the sound of gunfire rather than away," Olson said in a statement, adding that at least three other staff members had headed toward the shooter.
"No one, including myself, can prepare for a situation like this, so I'm very thankful that we're all okay. As always, students come first, and today was no different," he said.
The boy told investigators he did not want to hurt anybody but wanted to be shot and killed by the school resource officer, said Lacey police commander Jim Mack.
School officials said the boy had recently transferred to the school and faced bullying.
Mack said the student will face multiple gun charges.
Panicked students fled the building after hearing the shots, local broadcaster KOMO reported.
"I heard a bang, but I thought it was a table that fell," student Elora Shields told the station. "And then we heard it again, and then everyone started running. So I ran outside with my friends."
Other students took to Twitter to commend the teacher.
"I owe Mr. Olson my life. I think we all do. I wouldn't have had the courage to do that," student Joseph Delacruz said.
Classes were canceled for the day but would resume Tuesday.
The 16-year-old student, armed with a revolver, shot off two rounds that struck the floor and ceiling inside a stairwell at North Thurston High School in Lacey, just outside Olympia, Lacey police commander Joe Upton said.
A government teacher at the school, identified as Brady Olson, tackled the boy before more shots could be fired, and police took the teen into custody just before 8 a.m., authorities said. Nobody was hurt.
The incident marked the latest in a series of campus shootings that have sparked a national conversation about school safety, and came months after a student opened fire at another Washington state high school, fatally shooting four people before turning the gun on himself.
"I reacted in a way that any other teacher would react and at the sound of a gunshot, ... going toward the sound of gunfire rather than away," Olson said in a statement, adding that at least three other staff members had headed toward the shooter.
"No one, including myself, can prepare for a situation like this, so I'm very thankful that we're all okay. As always, students come first, and today was no different," he said.
The boy told investigators he did not want to hurt anybody but wanted to be shot and killed by the school resource officer, said Lacey police commander Jim Mack.
School officials said the boy had recently transferred to the school and faced bullying.
Mack said the student will face multiple gun charges.
Panicked students fled the building after hearing the shots, local broadcaster KOMO reported.
"I heard a bang, but I thought it was a table that fell," student Elora Shields told the station. "And then we heard it again, and then everyone started running. So I ran outside with my friends."
Other students took to Twitter to commend the teacher.
"I owe Mr. Olson my life. I think we all do. I wouldn't have had the courage to do that," student Joseph Delacruz said.
Classes were canceled for the day but would resume Tuesday.
© Thomson Reuters 2015
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