Year 7 teacher who tackled gunman speaks for the first time since the attack

JASON Seaman was shot while disarming a school shooter, saving his students in the process. But he insists he just did what he had to do.

A YEAR seven teacher, shot after tackling a gunman who stormed his classroom, has insisted he’s no hero.

Jason Seaman, 29, managed to disarm the unnamed shooter who entered the science classroom at Noblesville West Middle School in Indiana, US on Friday.

Mr Seaman took three bullets during the scuffle, but was not seriously injured.

A 13-year-old student, Ella Whistler, was also shot in the attack, and is now in a critical but stable condition in hospital.

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Mr Seaman has finally broken his silence after fronting a media conference at the school yesterday.

Wearing a white T-shirt bearing the message, “#NOBstrong. You are the reason I teach”, the former college football player told reporters the focus should be on Ella, and that he just did what needed to be done when he braved bullets to take down the shooter, who is believed to be a student at the school.

“Her [Ella’s] courage and strength at such a young age is nothing short of remarkable,” the New York Post reported Mr Seaman as saying.

“We all should continue to keep her in our minds as she continues to recover.

“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.

“I deeply care for my students and their wellbeing. That is why I did what I did that day.”

Mr Seaman was released from hospital on Saturday.

Noblesville Schools superintendent Beth Niedermeyer also paid tribute to Mr Seaman during the conference, the Associated Press reported.

Year Seven teacher Jason Seaman has been hailed a hero for saving his students’ lives.

“We’re so grateful for Jason’s quick and brave actions,” Ms Niedermeyer said.

“He put his own life in danger for his students. That alone tells you about his character and his big heart.”

School principal Stacey Shaw said the teacher’s actions had been heroic.

“Jason Seaman is a hero, no doubt. But he is only one of the heroes I saw on this day,” Ms Shaw said.

Mr Seaman attended a school baseball game after the conference, with students reportedly crying at the sight of the much-loved teacher.

An online fundraiser started by a student yesterday has already raised more than $95,000 for Mr Seaman.

The Noblesville shooting comes in the wake of several other horror school massacres in the US.

Earlier this month, 10 people were killed and a further 10 were injured in a shooting at Santa Fe High School in Texas, with suspect Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 17, later arrested.

And on Valentine’s Day, 17 were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida — a shooting so bloody it sparked the historic March For Our Lives gun control protest in March.

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