Teacher, Police Chief Peacefully Resolve School Hostage Incident
A 14-year-old student held a teacher and her class of 29 students hostage at a West Virginia high school.
An unidentified teacher is being praised by authorities for calming a 14-year-old student as he held her and her class of 29 students hostage.
The incident occurred on Tuesday at around 1:30 p.m. in Philippi, W. Va., at Barbour High School when the suspect took a pistol into the teacher’s second-story classroom and pointed the gun at her. The district superintendent credits the teacher for maintaining control of the situation when classes were changing, reports WRAL. She convinced the suspect to not allow the next group of students into her classroom. Those students then alerted another teacher who then alerted school officials, who then called the police.
RELATED: Teacher Speaks After Resolving Classroom Hostage Situation
The local police Chief Jeff Walters was also praised for arriving quickly to the scene, negotiating the release of the hostages and convincing the gunman to surrender. Parents were credited as well for following police instructions to stay away from the school.
RELATED: Verbal De-Escalation Techniques Save Lives
The school was placed into lockdown, while other students were moved to a nearby football field and then bussed home, reports Fox.
No one was injured during the incident, which was contained in about two or three hours.
The suspect, who is unidentified and school officials say is very troubled, was taken to a local hospital for evaluation. He is expected to face charges.
Image: Yahoo
If you appreciated this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our FREE digital newsletters!
Related Content
Leading in Turbulent Times: Effective Campus Public Safety Leadership for the 21st Century
This new webcast will discuss how campus public safety leaders can effectively incorporate Clery Act, Title IX, customer service, “helicopter” parents, emergency notification, town-gown relationships, brand management, Greek Life, student recruitment, faculty, and more into their roles and develop the necessary skills to successfully lead their departments. Register today to attend this free webcast!
