The hero science teacher who tackled the shooter at an Indiana middle school has broken his silence.
Jason Seaman, a seventh grade science teacher at Noblesville West Middle School in Indiana, has spoken publicly for the first time since tackling a school shooter and being shot multiple times in the process.
Videos by PopCulture.com
“I want to make it clear that my actions on that day, in my mind, were the only acceptable actions I could have done given the circumstances,” Seaman said at a press conference Monday, according to BuzzFeed.
Although he has been lauded a hero, Seaman said that he is “a person who isn’t looking for attention” and that he “did what [he] did that day” because he “deeply care[s] for [his] students and their well-being.”
On Friday, May 25, just one week after a student at Santa Fe High School in Texas shot and killed 10 people and injured several others, an armed student opened fire at Noblesville West Middle School as the class was taking a test. Seaman’s quick thinking resulted in only himself and one other student, 13-year-old Ella Whistler, being injured.
“Her courage and strength at such a young age is nothing short of remarkable,” Seaman said. “We all should continue to keep her in our minds as she continues to recover.”
Seaman suffered three gunshot wounds, as students claimed that he had “immediately ran at him [the gunman], swatted a gun out of his hand and tackled him to the ground.”
The unnamed male suspect was taken into police custody shortly after the shooting began and Seaman and Whistler were transported to a nearby hospital. Whistler remains in critical but stable condition.
“If it weren’t for him, more of us would have been injured for sure,” seventh-grader Ethan Stonebraker said.
A GoFundMe page, created by a student at Noblesville High School, has since been set up in an effort to help Seaman pay his medical bills.
“He was the first to intervene with the shooter. His actions saved the lives of many kids that were present in his class today. He put his life on the line for their protection. The funds will be going to the family for any personal expenses that have incurred due to the event,” the page reads.
More than $69,000 has since been raised.
