SPARKS, Nev. — A student at a Nevada middle school opened fire with a semi-automatic handgun on campus just before the starting bell Monday, wounding two 12-year-old boys and killing a math teacher who was trying to protect children from their classmate.
The unidentified shooter killed himself with the gun after a rampage that occurred in front of 20 to 30 horrified students who had just returned to Sparks Middle School from a weeklong fall break. Authorities did not provide a motive for the shooting, and it’s unknown where the student got the gun.
“He shot a student. And then a teacher tried to stop him, and he shot the teacher,” said Abner Lopez, the father of a 13-year-old eighth-grader.
Family members identified the victim as eighth-grade math teacher Michael Landsberry, a 45-year-old military veteran who leaves behind a wife and two stepdaughters. “It doesn’t surprise anybody that that’s what Michael would do,” said Chanda Landsberry, referring to her brother-in-law.
Both wounded students were listed in stable condition. One was shot in the shoulder, and the other was hit in the abdomen.
