In Nevada middle school shooting, teacher died protecting students

An 8th-grade student at Sparks Middle School opened fire in a classroom, killing a math teacher then himself

Published October 22, 2013 4:06PM (EDT)

 Sparks Middle School
Sparks Middle School

Witness reports from a shooting Monday at a Nevada middle school confirm that 8th-grade math teacher Michael Landsberry died trying to shield his students from gunfire. The married teacher had served two tours with the National Guard in Afghanistan and is being remembered by colleagues and students as a hero.

A middle school student opened fire in a classroom of 30 classmates before killing himself. Landsberry, 45, was the one other fatality, while two other students were wounded and taken to hospital Monday and are in a stable condition. Via the AP:

Investigators were trying to piece together the chain of events that began around 7.15am on Monday, 15 minutes before classes were to begin for 700 students in the 7th and 8th grades.

"The best description is chaos," said the Reno deputy police chief Tom Robinson. "It's too early to say whether he was targeting people or going on an indiscriminate shooting spree."


By Natasha Lennard

Natasha Lennard is an assistant news editor at Salon, covering non-electoral politics, general news and rabble-rousing. Follow her on Twitter @natashalennard, email nlennard@salon.com.

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Guns Nevada School Shooting Shooting Sparks Middle School