Reno Teacher Hailed As Hero After Shooting

By SCOTT SONNER

RENO, Nev. (AP) - A gym teacher is being hailed as a hero for risking her life to persuade a 14-year-old student to drop his gun after he allegedly wounded two eighth graders.

The teacher at Pine Middle School heard three shots just before 9 a.m. and rushed out of a room to find the alleged shooter, James Scott Newman, standing outside the school cafeteria.

``She empathized with him, tried to be understanding and de-escalated the situation. She was successful in having him place his gun on the ground which is pretty amazing,'' Reno police Lt. Ron Donnelly told KKOH Radio.

After he dropped the gun, the teacher ``bear hugged'' Newman until additional staff arrived on scene, Donnelly said. ``It was an heroic job done by the school teacher,'' he said.


Newman was booked into the Washoe County Jail as an adult on a charge of attempted murder, Donnelly said. He also was charged with use of a deadly weapon and use of a firearm by a minor.


Two students were injured during the shootings. One boy was shot in the upper arm and chest and was treated and released from a hospital. A girl received a superficial wound to the leg from shrapnel and was treated at the scene.


Investigators were withholding the names of the victims - both eighth graders. Steve Mulvenon, spokesman for the Washoe County School District, said the teacher who intervened had requested that her name not be released.


``She didn't want any publicity,'' he said.


Police said Newman brought a .38-caliber pistol to school and fired at the two victims randomly. Investigators do not know how or where he obtained the gun.


``It appears he decided to engage in school violence. He brought a gun to school today and randomly targeted these two students. He brought it to school today in a plan that he was going to commit violence,'' Donnelly said.


The school was placed in lockdown for about an hour before classes were canceled for the day. Students were taken home either by bus or released into the custody of a parent or guardian.


``I was scared,'' said Luke Riley, a student.


Aaron Coombs, the father of a student, said it's ``kind of crazy when you've got kids coming to school with guns.''


``I can't imagine where a parent wouldn't have their guns locked up, but I guess that happens,'' he said.



03/15/06 03:25



I don't get it why does this happen the kid going Ballistic,,,any of them for that matter? is growing up any different now than the crap I had to go through as a kid?

More losers in school, parents that don't care, lack of responsibility, and a society that embraces the liberal ideas.......

All the stuff I remember in school was gang related........I think there were more firearms and shootings then, but there seems to be more fights now.

From the RGJ article:

---Karen Sabori lives on Stonebridge Trail near the suspect's home.
"They just moved here from Las Vegas because they wanted a nicer climate for the kids to go to school in. There wasn't much for the kids to do in Las Vegas and they thought here there were more things for kids to do," she said.---

To the Arfcommers in Clark county:
Quit exporting your trash to beautiful Northern Nevada.  If we wanted your sick, your downtrodden, and your criminally insane..............we would let you know!  http://cmsimg.rgj.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=J7&Date=20060315&Category=NEWS10&ArtNo=603150348&Ref=H3&Profile=1002&MaxW=800&MaxH=600&Site=J7&Q=100&Border=0&Title=1


---AllAlphas

All teachers should be trained and allowed to carry concealed firearms if they choose. The kid that started shooting up the school in Reno should have been dispatched where he stood. PERIOD....

If the teacher was the one to pull the trigger, then he/she would be a Hero.

Quoted: All teachers should be trained and allowed to carry concealed firearms if they choose. The kid that started shooting up the school in Reno should have been dispatched where he stood. PERIOD.... If the teacher was the one to pull the trigger, then he/she would be a Hero.

You don't always have to pull a trigger to save lives and be a hero.  She saved lives without doing so.  And yes, teachers should be allowed to carry firearms anyway.

Quoted: From the RGJ article: ---Karen Sabori lives on Stonebridge Trail near the suspect's home. "They just moved here from Las Vegas because they wanted a nicer climate for the kids to go to school in. There wasn't much for the kids to do in Las Vegas and they thought here there were more things for kids to do," she said.--- To the Arfcommers in Clark county: Quit exporting your trash to beautiful Northern Nevada.  If we wanted your sick, your downtrodden, and your criminally insane..............we would let you know!   cmsimg.rgj.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=J7&Date=20060315&Category=NEWS10&ArtNo=603150348&Ref=H3&Profile=1002&MaxW=800&MaxH=600&Site=J7&Q=100&Border=0&Title=1 ---AllAlphas

I don't know why these people think that going somewhere else will cause their child to be in a better environment, when their child is the problem

Quoted: I don't know why these people think that going somewhere else will cause their child to be in a better environment, when their child is the problem

+1
         Bring back corporal punishment.!!!!

My children and many others rasied here did just fine.  When we had problems either my foot in their ass or some love and attention.  They is plenty to do here for kids.  Lame excuse for their damn kid.