Teacher might have prevented middle school massacre

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A teacher is being credited with disarming a student suspected of opening fire at an Indiana middle school.

Jason Seaman, 29, is a "hero" who tackled the unnamed suspect, according to a boy who was in the class and spoke to CNN affiliates WRTV and WXIN.

If it wasn't for him, more of us could have been injured, for sure," said the boy, whose name and face were not shown. He said the class was taking a science test when the student shooter came into the classroom and fired "four to six" times before Seaman subdued him.

"We could have been killed, anything..." the boy said. "Something bad (could have happened) to us."
Seaman and an unnamed female student were hit by bullets and taken to hospitals after the incident at Noblesville West Middle School in Noblesville, about 25 miles northeast of Indianapolis. He was in good condition and the girl in critical condition, the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office said Friday night.

The suspected shooter came into the class and started firing, striking a girl, said the boy, who spoke to TV reporters.
"Mr. Seaman started running at him," the boy said. "He tackled him to the ground. We were all hiding in the back of a classroom behind some desks, then (Seaman) was yelling to call 911, to get out of the building as fast as we could, so we ran (out)."

In a statement Friday evening, Seaman, who teaches seventh grade and coaches football, thanked first responders for the "immediate action and care."

He added, "I want to let everyone know that I was injured but am doing great. To all the students, you are all wonderful and I thank you for your support. You are the reason I teach."

Seaman's mother, Kristi J. Hubly Seaman, posted updates earlier on Facebook.
"Jason is out of surgery and is doing well," she wrote Friday afternoon. "3 shots - 1 through the abdomen, 1 in the hip& 1 in the forearm. PLEASE pray for the student that was also shot."

Seaman's aunt, Brenda Hubly-Sushka, told CNN no one in the family was surprised by his actions.

"That's just what he does," she said. "He's a great kid. Well, he's not a kid anymore."

She said his surgery determined that no major organs were hit.

Seaman's brother is a teacher in Arizona.

"It's surreal," she said. "We read about it, and it seems like there's one happening every day now. Never realize it's going to hit so close to home. I'm still at a loss for words."

Seaman played defensive line and lettered four years in football from 2007-10 at Southern Illinois University, the university said in a press release.

It said Seaman is a native of Mahomet, Illinois, earned Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Academic team honors and was on the track team.

"He was a great teammate, one of the team's hardest workers," said current SIU football head coach Nick Hill, who played on the same team with Seaman during the 2007 season. "You could always trust him to do the right thing."

When was this? I haven't seen it as a headline anywhere.

An Indiana science teacher was released from a hospital a day after he was shot while tackling an armed student inside his classroom.

Noblesville police Lt. Bruce Barnes confirmed Saturday that Jason Seaman was discharged from Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis.

The only other person shot, student Ella Whistler, was in critical but stable condition, according to her family. They released a statement saying they were still trying to process "what happened and why."

Jeremy Seaman told The Indianapolis Star that his brother was shot three times and underwent surgery. He said Jason Seaman was a defensive end for Southern Illinois University's football team and had never been a person to run away.

Investigators said the shooter had asked to be dismissed from the class before returning with two guns. He was arrested "extremely quickly" following the shooting around 9 a.m. Friday, local police Chief Kevin Jowitt said.

Authorities didn't release the student's name or say whether he had been in trouble before but indicated he likely acted alone. Police said the student didn't appear to be injured.

Stonebraker said he knew the suspected gunman. He described him as "a nice kid most of the times" and said he often joked with the classmates.

"It's just a shock he would do something like that," Stonebraker said.

Noblesville High School senior Jackson Ramsey started a GoFundMe fundraising effort for Seaman. He said his girlfriend's sister was in a classroom adjacent to the shooting.

The goal is to "repay a deed that cannot be repaid," Ramsey said. "He saved the lives of so many students."

The campaign had raised nearly $50,000 by 10 p.m. Saturday.

Wow.

Meanwhile, Trump should be personally visiting this guy & give him some kind of top civilian award for valour.

Trump did what Trump does, he tweeted thanks.

“As a person who isn’t looking for attention, nor entirely comfortable with the situation I’m currently in, I want to make it clear that my actions on that day, in my mind, were the only acceptable actions I could’ve done, given the circumstances,” Seaman said at a brief press conference Monday. “I deeply care for my students and their wellbeing, so that is why I did what I did that day.”

The student who was shot, 13-year-old Ella Whistler, was in critical but stable condition, her family said in a statement.

“I can’t say enough how proud of Ella I am and how we all should be,” Seaman said Monday. “Her courage and strength at such a young age is nothing short of remarkable, and we should all continue to keep her in our minds as she continues to recover.”

Seaman also thanked Noblesville High School senior Jackson Ramsey, who started a GoFundMe page to raise money for Seaman’s medical bills.

“I’m still processing much of what has happened,” Seaman said, before referencing the middle school’s “Miller Shift” academic philosophy. “But I can say with absolute certainty that I am proud to be a Miller.”