Yesterday, a seventh-grade student at Jackson Memorial Middle School in Massillon, Ohio shot himself in the school bathroom. The student arrived at school by bus, went straight into a boy’s bathroom, and shot himself with a .22 caliber gun. Police have not confirmed the boy’s intention, or whether he was alone at the time of the shooting, but have confirmed that no other students were hurt.
Jackson County Police Chief Mark Brink said that the student had “distractionary type devices.” He told reporters, “It’s not a bomb, I can tell you that much. It’s something that’s going to make smoke or make a bang and take your attention somewhere else.” It remains unclear whether the devices were used at any point.
A school official reported that the student is being treated at a hospital. His condition is currently unknown.
Initially put on lockdown while bomb squad dogs swept the building, the middle school and high school students were released. Parents had to provide photo I.D. to collect their children. Superintendent Christopher DiLoreto stated that he is unsure whether they will hold school on Wednesday. Two students told local news that they hid in a closet for two to three hours with no information as to what was happening.
This comes on the heels of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida last Wednesday, as well as an incident in January in which an Arizona seventh-grader also shot himself in a school bathroom.
The National Suicide Hotline is 1-800-784-2433.
Megan Loreto
Megan Loreto
Ilana Maiman
Ilana Maiman