Truth Frequency Radio
Oct 24, 2013

By The Christian Science Monitor

The facts are still emerging from the Nevada school shooting Monday, in which a 12-year-old student at Sparks Middle School allegedly shot and killed a popular math teacher and injured two male classmates before killing himself. Even the name of the shooter has still not been released.

But among the facts authorities have revealed is that they believe the shooter got the Ruger 9 mm semiautomatic handgun used in the attack from his home.

The boy reportedly brought the gun to school grounds and, just before classes started for the day, wounded one student, shot and killed math teacher Mike Landsberry, and wounded another student before turning the gun on himself.

While it’s too soon to know how the shooter was able to get access to the gun he brought from home, most underage school shooters obtain their weapons from home, a relative, or another home where they knew guns were kept. Questions are already being raised about whether any adults could be held criminally liable if they are proven to have negligently allowed the student access to the firearm.

At a news conference, Sparks Deputy Police Chief Tom Miller said the local prosecutor will have to determine whether to press charges against the shooter’s parents if, in fact, the gun came from their home, “but the potential is there.”

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‘They shot a teacher’: 911 calls released from deadly Nevada school shooting

Fox News

Authorities released 911 calls from students in the deadly school shooting in Sparks, Nev., on Monday where a 12-year-old boy allegedly killed a hero teacher, wounded two boys and took his own life.

“Somebody brought a gun to school. They shot a teacher,” a male student, who sounded out of breath, said.  He said the teacher was down and while he was on the phone, another gun shot was fired. “They, they, shot again.”

It is unclear what prompted the boy — who police are not identifying out of respect for his family — to take a 9mm handgun from his home and open fire at school. Police said they’ve interviewed 20 or 30 witnesses and are looking into any prior connection the victims had with the shooter. The boy’s parents, who could face charges in the case, are cooperating with the investigation.

Angelo Ferro, 13, was at the Sparks Middle School playground with friends Monday when he heard a pop about 15 minutes before the morning bell rang. He said he didn’t think much of it — it could’ve been someone popping a plastic bag.

But then he saw an injured boy clutching his wounded arm. He watched his fifth-period math teacher, Michael Landsberry, walk toward a student and fall to the ground.

“When he pulled a gun, we knew what happened,” Ferro told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Moments later, the eighth grader was cowered against a wall with some classmates, burying his face in his hands as a 12-year-old boy waved a semi-automatic handgun and threatened to shoot.

Ferro didn’t know the boy, but said he and others in the frightened heap tried to talk him out of firing.

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Nevada school shooting leaves gunman, teacher dead, 2 boys wounded; teacher hailed as hero

By Scott Sonner, The Associated Press

SPARKS, Nev. – A U.S. middle school teacher who served two tours with the National Guard in Afghanistan was being hailed as a hero for trying to protect students from a shooting witnessed by up to 30 children.

Police said a Sparks Middle School student was the lone gunman who injured two young classmates, killed himself and took the life of the 8th-grade math teacher who tried to stop the rampage, 45-year-old Michael Landsberry.

“We have a lot of heroes today, including our children … and our fallen hero, an amazing teacher,” Washoe County School District Superintendent Pedro Martinez said.

It was no shock to family members that Landsberry — a married military veteran with two stepdaughters — would take a bullet.

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Police: Nevada teacher died trying to save students

Florida Today

SPARKS — A Nevada middle school student shot and killed a teacher and wounded two students Monday before fatally shooting himself, Sparks police said.

Police said the teacher died trying to protect students.

“We’ve got video we have to review, people we’ve got to talk to,” said Tom Robinson, deputy chief of Reno police, which also responded. “But in my estimation, he is a hero. We do know he was trying to intervene.”

The Reno Gazette-Journal said the victim was a popular math teacher at Sparks Middle School but said it was withholding his name until it was made public by police.

Angela Rambo, spokeswoman for Renown Regional Hospital, said the hospital had received two male patients, both minors and both initially in critical condition. Their conditions later were upgraded, one to fair condition, the other to serious condition.

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Student opens fire at Nev. school, killing staffer & self

By Associated Press

SPARKS, Nev. — A student at a Nevada middle school opened fire with a semi-automatic handgun on campus just before the starting bell Monday, wounding two 12-year-old boys and killing a math teacher who was trying to protect children from their classmate.

The unidentified shooter killed himself with the gun after a rampage that occurred in front of 20 to 30 horrified students who had just returned to school from a weeklong fall break. Authorities did not provide a motive for the shooting, and it’s unknown where the student got the gun.

Teacher Michael Landsberry was being hailed for his actions during the shooting outside Sparks Middle School.

“In my estimation, he is a hero. … We do know he was trying to intervene,” Reno Deputy Police Chief Tom Robinson said.

Both wounded students were listed in stable condition. One was shot in the shoulder, and the other was hit in the abdomen.

The violence erupted nearly a year after a gunman shocked the nation by opening fire in Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., leaving 26 dead. The Dec. 14 shooting ignited debate over how best to protect the nation’s schools and whether armed teachers should be part of that equation.

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