Georgia teacher barricades himself in classroom, fires gun
A teacher in Georgia, US, barricaded himself in his classroom and fired at least one gunshot before being nabbed. The standoff at Dalton High School lasted for 45 minutes. No one was hurt, except a student who sprained her ankle. Two weeks ago, 17 people were killed when a former student of a Florida school stormed the place and opened fire.
Chaos at Dalton High School
Teacher fired a gun when principal tried opening the door
According to reports, 53-year-old Jesse Randall Davidson locked himself in his classroom. When students couldn't enter, the principal was called. Steve Bartoo tried opening the door with a key, but Davidson "slammed the door" and asked him to go away while making "some nonsensical noises." They then heard a gunshot which went through a window. The school immediately went into lockdown.
Student calls for stricter gun control laws
Teacher charged with aggravated assault, terrorist threats, reckless conduct
Panic broke out as students and teachers ran to take cover, screaming and crying. After half an hour, police took Davidson into custody without incident. Students and teachers were evacuated to a nearby convention center. Davidson, a social studies teacher working at the school since 2004, has been charged with aggravated assault, carrying weapon on school grounds, terrorist threats and reckless conduct, among others.
Roughly one school shooting every 60 hours in 2018
Since 2013, 291 school shootings have been reported across the US, roughly one every week. In 2018, there has been an average of one incident every 60 hours. The Florida massacre was the deadliest since 26 people were killed at a Connecticut school in 2012.