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Student: 'Hero' Teacher Tackled School Gunman, Swatted Weapon Away

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An Indiana middle school science teacher is being hailed as a hero after tackling and swatting the gun away from a student shooter who entered his class.

The shooting took place at Noblesville West Middle School, to the north of Indianapolis, at around 9 a.m. Friday morning.

A seventh-grade student who was in the classroom and wished not to be identified told WXIN that a classmate of his showed up late wielding a handgun and opened fire.

“He took about four to five maybe six shots, one of them hitting a girl that was about ten feet from me. Mr. (Jason) Seaman started running at him, he’s a teacher, a science teacher — he tackled him to the ground, we were all hiding in the back of a classroom behind some desks,” the student recounted.

“Then (Seaman) was yelling to call 911 to get out of the building as fast as we could, so we ran down the stairs and just ran down here, we ran down the sidewalk into Prairie Crossing,” the student added.

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The unnamed student said the science teacher is also the head football coach and well-liked by the student body. Seaman reportedly played football for Southern Illinois University as a defensive end.

“He’s a hero,” the student stated. “If he didn’t do anything he probably would have continued shooting and a lot more of us would have been injured and possibly killed, so it was just something that not most people would have done but he was really brave to do it.”

“I’d say it something I’d see from him, he would do this type of thing, he’s a really good guy,” he said.

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Another seventh-grader, also unnamed, told WXIN that Seaman swatted the gun away from the shooter, saving many lives in the process.

“This science teacher bravely swatted that gun away from the gunman’s hands, saving everyone else in that room,” WXIN’s Dan Spehler reported, citing the unnamed female student.

Noblesville Police Chief Kevin Jowitt told reporters at a media briefing that a male student has been taken into custody in relation to the shooting, according to WLS-TV.

Additionally, one adult and one teenage victim have been taken to area hospitals for treatment.

Seaman’s mother Kristi posted on Facebook, “Please pray for my son Jason. This morning there was a shooting at his school Noblesville West Jr High. He was hit 3 times & is undergoing surgery now. We are told he is in good condition but haven’t gotten to see him yet. I thank God that no one was killed.”

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Eighth-grader Chris Navarro told WLS-TV he was inside an auditorium when he counted 16 gunshots in about a minute, just before the bell rang signaling the end of the school period.

“The speaker came on and said we were on lockdown and people rushed in and we went to the back of the room. I went into this little room in the back with three other people,” he said.

The incident comes in the wake of two other school shootings last week in Texas and Illinois.

The shooting in Santa Fe, Texas, last Friday left 10 dead and 10 more wounded.

In Illinois, a police officer assigned to Dixon High School brought down a 19-year-old former student gunman before he could do any harm.

The officer’s quick response is credited with saving lives. There were no injuries, except to the shooter himself.

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Randy DeSoto has written more than 2,000 articles for The Western Journal since he joined the company in 2015. He is a graduate of West Point and Regent University School of Law. He is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths" and screenwriter of the political documentary "I Want Your Money."
Randy DeSoto is the senior staff writer for The Western Journal. He wrote and was the assistant producer of the documentary film "I Want Your Money" about the perils of Big Government, comparing the presidencies of Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama. Randy is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths," which addresses how leaders have appealed to beliefs found in the Declaration of Independence at defining moments in our nation's history. He has been published in several political sites and newspapers.

Randy graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a BS in political science and Regent University School of Law with a juris doctorate.
Birthplace
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Nationality
American
Honors/Awards
Graduated dean's list from West Point
Education
United States Military Academy at West Point, Regent University School of Law
Books Written
We Hold These Truths
Professional Memberships
Virginia and Pennsylvania state bars
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Entertainment, Faith




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