Middle School Student Shoots Self With Long Gun At Ohio School

MASSILLON, OH — A seventh grade student at Jackson Memorial Middle School in Massillon shot himself on Tuesday morning, according to the school district. The student has been taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Jackson Township Police Chief Mark Brink said it is not yet clear if the student was planning to harm others or only himself. He said the student shot himself with a .22 rifle. It is not yet clear where the student got the weapon.

"We don't know his intentions at this time," Brink told reporters at a news conference.

The shooting took place in the morning, at about 7:50 a.m., in a bathroom at the middle school.

Police also found "distraction devices" in the student's backpacks, which Brink described as small-scale explosives that would not be used to harm someone but to draw a group's attention. Brink would not comment on the student's health status.

There are no metal detectors at Jackson Memorial Middle School. School officials said they rely on parents to "see something and say something."

Neighboring cities provided assistance to Jackson Township after the incident, including providing bomb squads and SWAT teams to search the school. No other weapons or devices were found.

The middle school and the district's high school were locked down following the incident. All four of the district's elementary schools were closed Tuesday. Superintendent Christopher DiLoreto said it has not been decided yet if classes will resume on Wednesday.

High school students that drive were released at 9:20 a.m. Students at the high school that don't drive were picked up by their parents.

Middle school students were then authorized to leave by law enforcement. Parents were able to pick their children up in the purple gym at the school.

All of the district's extracurricular activities are cancelled for Tuesday.

This is a breaking news story and Patch will update it with new information as it becomes available.

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