Hero: Beloved High School Football Player Dies After Trying to Save Classmates from Deranged School Shooter
When Tuesday began, Tate Myre had visions of Division I college football scholarships in his future.
But the 16-year-old junior at Oxford High School in Michigan will never set foot on a college campus. He was among four students killed Tuesday when a 15-year-old sophomore opened fire at the school north of Detroit.
Myre was killed when he tried to “disarm the shooter,” according to a change.org petition created to have the school’s football stadium renamed for Myre, who played running back and middle linebacker for the Oxford Wildcats.
The petition already had more than 114,000 signatures early Thursday.
“Tate is not just a hero to his fellow students at Oxford high school but a legend, his act of bravery should be remembered forever and passed down through generations, he put his life in danger to try and help the thousands of other students at Oxford High School,” petition organizer Drake Biggie wrote.
Biggie is a former teammate of Myre’s who is now in college, according to The Washington Post.
Had a great time at the Toledo game yesterday. Thank you @RickyCicconeUT @ToledoFB for the invite!@ReggieWynns @TheD_Zone pic.twitter.com/VIDhtHWGPG
— Tate Myre (@TateMyre2023) November 28, 2021
Authorities have not released details on how Myre tried to save his fellow students.
“He was a standout player. He inspired many people and was loved by many people,” student Matt Johnson, 17, told the New York Post.
Friends noted in tributes online that Myre already had been accepted into numerous colleges, some on a full scholarship, the newspaper reported.
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said Myre died before he could get to a hospital on Tuesday.
“One of our deputies, due to the severity of wounds, loaded up one of the children in his car and sadly, that child died in the car,” Bouchard said.
RIP #TateMyre https://t.co/FXSquo24E1
— Fraudci’s Archnemesis, MD (@KarensArchnemes) December 1, 2021
Hana St. Juliana, 14, Madisyn Baldwin, 17, and Justin Shilling, 17, were the other students killed in the attack.
Oxford High School sophomore Ethan Crumbley, 15, will be tried in connection with the attack as an adult on charges that include first-degree murder and terrorism, according to USA Today.
In a video made Monday, the suspect threatened to shoot and kill students, authorities said.
Bouchard said the suspect displayed “concerning behavior” at the school, including an incident that forced his parents to be called to the high school less than three hours before the attack, USA Today reported.
A motive for the shooting remains unclear. Bouchard said the suspect had no disciplinary history and there were no reports he’d been bullied, according to the Detroit News.
“Regardless of what he faced, there is no excuse for those senseless actions,” Bouchard said Wednesday.
“I agree with the charges that have been levied,” Bouchard said, noting the suspect fired 30 rounds during the five-minute attack. “I agree with holding this individual wholly and completely responsible for the deplorable, tragic event that occurred by choice.”
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