A teacher was taken into custody Wednesday, after firing one shot from a handgun after barricading himself in an empty classroom at a Georgia high school.
Officers talked the teacher into surrendering and took him into custody without incident after about 30 to 45 minutes. Dalton, Ga., police spokesman Bruce Frazier said,
“We had officers inside the building quickly.“
Frazier said the teacher, identified as Jesse Randal Davidson, 53, would be charged, although the exact nature of the charge isn’t clear. According to the school website, Davidson who taught there since 2004, was described as the “voice of the Catamounts,” the Dalton football team, and has written a two-volume history of the team.
He apparently fired the handgun out the window and did not aim at anyone. Frazier said,
“I don’t know if he fired the gun off to let people know to back off or what.
It certainly seems that he didn’t have any intention to harm anyone else.“
This all unfolded after Davidson apparently refused to allow students into the classroom and barricaded the door.
Police said no students were ever in danger. The school, which has about 2,000 students, is located about 90 miles north of Atlanta.
In the wake of the Parkland shooting tragedy that left 17 dead, Trump and federal and state legislators have proposed arming teachers, a move backed by the NRA and almost universally derided by Democrats and sane people.
Teacher in custody after reports of shots fired at high school https://t.co/0yT8GHfMgG
— TIME (@TIME) February 28, 2018
Here’s a look at the large police presence at Dalton High School. Suspect in custody. Students taken to a staging area for parents to pick them up. @wsbtv pic.twitter.com/wtGq09cmsL
— Chris Jose (@ChrisJoseWSB) February 28, 2018
Teacher active shooter at Dalton High School looking for trump to run in anytime now pic.twitter.com/D07aohJmZN
— DKT (@darleneturner53) February 28, 2018
(via USA Today)
