Dalton High School in Georgia was rocked on Wednesday when a teacher reportedly fired a gun through a window, and local police have now announced the charges against him.
Jesse Randal Davidson, 53, brought a handgun to the Georgia high school where he worked according to local police. He refused to let students enter his classroom at around 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, barricading himself inside. When the principal arrived and tried to unlock the room with a key, Davidson reportedly fired one shot out of an open window as a warning.
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The school went into lock down and was evacuated in short order. The police were brought in, and a stand-off between Davidson and the authorities went on for 30-45 minutes, according to a report by the Associated Press. Finally, Davidson agreed to surrender to police, and was taken into custody without further incident.
The Dalton Police Department live-tweeted the tense stand-off, and announced on Wednesday evening what charges Davidson would be facing.
“Jesse Randal Davidson has been charged with aggravated assault, carrying weapon on school grounds, terroristic threats, reckless conduct, possession of gun during commission of a crime, and disrupting public school,” reads the department’s post.
Jesse Randal Davidson has been charged with aggravated assault, carrying weapon on school grounds, terroristic threats, reckless conduct, possession of gun during commission of a crime, and disrupting public school.
— Dalton Police (@DaltonPD) February 28, 2018
No officials with the police or the school have offered an explanation as to why Davidson acted in such a manner. The Dalton High School principal, Steve Bartoo, described him as an “excellent teacher” who was “well thought of in our building.”
Davidson had been teaching at the school since 2004. He was a social studies teacher, and also did the play-by-play announcements for the Dalton High football games.
In a press conference, police spokesman Bruce Frazier said that there was no evidence suggesting Davidson was aiming for anyone when he fired his gun.
“It certainly seemed like he didn’t have any intention to harm anybody else,” Frazier said.
The school resource officer reportedly played a big part in talking Davidson down. He was at the junior high school when the lock down began, but he went straight to Davidson’s classroom. He persuaded Davidson to come out of the classroom without hurting anyone.
“We’re very, very proud of this officer and everything that he did to render this horrible situation safe as quick as what he did,” Dalton Police Assistant chief Cliff Cason said. He added that the school’s lock down procedure was “flawless,” and facilitated a fast police response.
“When we got there, they directed us where we needed to go and it made things so much easier for us because it wasn’t mass chaos, as you see at times,” Cason said.
On Twitter, students have described the terrifying moments of the lock down and the evacuation, saying that it was a hectic sight. One student reportedly twisted their ankle while running from the building, marking the only injury from the incident.
