PLACERVILLE, Calif. — A school janitor who police said might have been laid off was arrested Wednesday in the shooting death of a northern California elementary-school principal hailed as a role model for other educators.
Principal Sam LaCara, 50, was killed in the late-morning attack in the main office at Louisiana Schnell Elementary School in Placerville, said Police Chief George Nielson. No children were hurt in the shooting, although one student may have witnessed it, Nielson said.
LaCara was called a dedicated leader by Bob Wells, executive director of the Association of California School Administrators.
Authorities arrested janitor John Luebbers, 44, at his home about an hour after launching a manhunt. Investigators were trying to determine a motive for the shooting, including whether Luebbers had been laid off.
