Student Kills Teacher, Injures 2 at Nevada School

A student at a Nevada middle school opened fire on campus just before the starting bell Monday, wounding two boys and killing a teacher who was trying to protect other children, Sparks police and the victim’s family said.

Twenty to thirty students witnessed the tragedy at Sparks Middle School that also left the lone suspected gunman dead, police said.

Family members identified him as math teacher Michael Landsberry, a 45-year-old military veteran who leaves behind a wife and two stepdaughters

“To hear that he was trying to stop that is not surprising by any means,” said his sister-in-law Chanda Landsberry. She added his life could be summed up by his love of family, his students and his country.

The names of the suspect and two other victims have not yet been released, and the motive for the shooting is still unknown.

Sparks, a city of roughly 90,000 that sprung out of the railway industry, lies just east of Reno.

Mayor Geno Martini spoke at a morning press conference to assure residents that the community was safe.

“It’s a tragic day in the city of Sparks,” he said. “This is just an isolated incident.”

This article appeared in print on page 3 of the October 22nd, 2013 edition of Hamodia.