A teacher at a Broomfield Catholic school has been fired after accidentally shooting one of his own students with a pellet gun during horseplay.
Arthur Pierce, a teacher at Holy Family High School, was playing around with students Tuesday during a break in a rehearsal for “Romeo and Juliet” when he shot a girl in her right hip, said Sgt. Rick Kempsell, a Police Department spokesman.
“Several kids were shooting at each other and the teacher was one of the ones shooting, as well,” he said. “He hit the student. It was a poor decision.”
In a statement issued Friday, Holy Family principal Sister Mary Rose Lieb said Pierce was fired Wednesday, and the school is taking measures to provide a safe environment.
Pierce, who was escorted off the school property by police, received a municipal summons for the incident, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine, Kempsell said.
The pellet injury left a red welt on the student, but no other injuries were reported, Kempsell said.
Staff writer Karen Rouse can be reached at 303-820-1684 or krouse@denverpost.com.
