Jason Seaman: Protecting Students During Shooting 'Only Acceptable Actions'
May 28, 2018
Jason Seaman, a seventh grade science teacher at Noblesville West Middle School in Noblesville, Ind., speaks during a news conference Monday, May 28, 2018. Seaman tackled and disarmed a student with a gun at the school on Friday. He was shot but not seriously injured. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
School teacher Jason Seaman had only one thought when he intervened to stop a shooter at Noblesville West Middle School in Indiana.
"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 Monday in his first public comments since the shooting, per the Associated Press. "I deeply care for my students and their well-being. That is why I did what I did that day."
In addition to teaching at Noblesville West, Seaman is a coach for the football team. He played football in college for the Southern Illinois Salukis,appearingin 47 games over four years. He graduated from SIU in 2010.
According to CNN's Jay Croft and Janet DiGiacomo, the shooter entered the school Friday morning and walked into Seaman's classroom while his students were taking a test. Seaman tackled the shooter and kept the suspect on the ground long enough for authorities to arrive.
Seaman was shot three times and underwent surgery to address his wounds. He wasreleasedfrom the hospital Saturday.
