Noblesville Middle School Teacher Jason Seaman Talks About Shooting Incident, Asks for Prayers for 13-Year-Old Victim
While the entire Noblesville lauded Jason Seaman for saving the lives of his middle school students during Friday's shooting incident in their school, the science teacher insisted that he is not a hero.
The 29-year-old teacher was able to disarm the unknown shooter who entered his classroom at the Noblesville West Middle School in Indiana by throwing a basketball and tackling the suspect. This caused him to incur three bullets during the incident. However, his act saved more lives.
On Monday, Seaman addressed the public for the first time since the fateful incident. He said that he only did what he had to do during that time.
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"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, a former defensive lineman at Southern Illinois University, also said as reported by ESPN. "I deeply care for my students and their well-being. That is why I did what I did that day," he went on to say.
He also shared the spotlight with 13-year-old student Ella Whistler, who was wounded during the shooting incident, as well.
According to Seaman, Whistler's display of courage at a young age should be remembered. He also asked everyone to continue praying for her recovery.
However, school principal Stacey Shaw still believes that Seaman is a hero.
Meanwhile, Seaman's former SIU head coach Jerry Kill told NCAA that he was not surprised to learn about his heroic deed. "That's what he stood for. He's a great young man and I'm praying for him to be ok," Kill stated.
The current SIU football head coach Nick Hill, who also played with Seaman during the 2007 football season, also released a statement about the incident where his former teammate's act of bravery.
"If someone didn't step up, how many junior high kids could've passed away today? They didn't because of Jason," Hill stated. "(At SIU) he was a great teammate, one of the team's hardest workers. You could always trust him to do the right thing," he added.
On the other hand, Noblesville Schools Superintendent Beth Niedermeyer acknowledged Seaman's actions during the news conference that was reported by CBS Local. According to Niedermeyer, the science teacher opted to endanger his life for the sake of his students. That just proved how big his heart is.
The report also mentioned that Seaman went to a Noblesville High School baseball game, where a lot of students gave him a high-five. Most of the students also cried when they saw him for the first time since the incident.
Seaman will also be a recipient of an online fundraiser that was spearheaded by a high school student. It already reached a total of $72,000 by mid-Monday, which reportedly surpassed the fundraiser's original goal of $55,000.
Also, the report said that Niedermeyer announced that the school district will offer counseling all throughout summer until the following school year. The middle school is also expected to stay closed until Tuesday this week to offer counseling for the students, their families, and the school staff.
