Police Identify Teacher Who Fired Gun at Georgia High School

Police in Dalton, Georgia have identified the teacher who allegedly fired a gun at school on Wednesday as Jesse Randall Davidson, a 53-year-old employee at Dalton High School.

According to a Twitter update from the Dalton Police Department, Davidson is 53 years old. He is reportedly a social studies teacher at the high school, and also does the voice over announcements at Dalton High football games.

Davidson allegedly fired a gun at least once early on Wednesday afternoon. Police responded immediately, and students were evacuated to a nearby convention center called the Northwest Georgia Trade Center. At first, it was reported that no children were hurt in the incident, though police later confirmed that one student injured their ankle while running from the school. They were treated by EMS on site.

According to the updates from Dalton police, Davidson barricaded himself into a classroom as authorities filled the building. However, he was ultimately taken into custody. Police begged media outlets and parents to stay away from the scene as they tried to sort everything out.

The Associated Press reports that Davidson spent about half an hour barricaded inside the classroom. They confirm that a gun was fired, but no students were in the room at the time. Authorities recovered the handgun in question, and told the outlet that Davidson had no intention to involve students in whatever he had planned.

Reporters also learned that a “threatening” note was found in Dalton High School last week, though it wasn’t immediately connected to Wednesday’s shooting. The note, found on Feb. 21, mad a threat concerning the school for the following day. Police responded by increasing their presence at all of the city’s schools.

The Dalton Police Department is holding another press conference shortly, and many hope they will issue more details on the incident. As the national debate on school violence and gun regulation comes to a boiling point, the conversation online has already turned to possible political agendas for the outburst, and even conspiracy theories surrounding the shots fired.