Douglas County Teacher Shoots Self At School

LITHIA SPRINGS, GA — A teacher at Lithia Springs High School was rushed to the hospital after he shot himself Thursday morning at the school.

According to Douglas County School System spokesman Neil Boggs, the teacher suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound at 7:15 a.m. in the office of his classroom. No students were in the area at the time, Boggs said.

It was not immediately clear Thursday whether the gunshot was accidental or intentional. But law enforcement officers said the teacher, who has worked at the school for 18 years, left the area where the shooting happened and reached out to another teacher for help.

"He was able to make contact with another teacher who called 911 on his behalf to get medical attention to him," Douglas County Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. Jesse Hambrick said at a news conference.

Classes at the school were canceled Thursday. Students who had already arrived were being kept in the gymnasium and the campus had been secured, according to Boggs.

"The campus has been secured and all students are being kept safely away from the scene of the incident ...," Douglas County Schools Superitendent Trenton North said at the conference. "The most important thing we do as a school system is to keep our staff and students safe."

Hambrick said he did not have an update on the teacher's medical condition but that, when he was taken by air to a local hospital, he was alive.

Photo via Pixabay