Nev. student opens fire, kills teacher and himself

Two other students wounded outside middle school

Jorge Martinez, 13, right, cries in his mother Norma's arms following the shooting that left two dead, including the shooter, at Sparks Middle School Monday. A student at the 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 members said.
Jorge Martinez, 13, right, cries in his mother Norma's arms following the shooting that left two dead, including the shooter, at Sparks Middle School Monday. A student at the 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 members said.

SPARKS, Nev. (AP) - 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 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.

Teacher Michael Landsberry was being hailed for his actions outside Sparks Middle School during the shooting.

"In my estimation, he is a hero. ... We do know he was trying to intervene," Reno Deputy Police Chief Tom Robinson said.

Both wounded students were listed in stable condition. One was shot in the shoulder, and the other was hit in the abdomen.

The violence erupted nearly a year after a gunman shocked the nation by opening fire in Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., leaving 26 dead. The Dec. 14 shooting ignited debate over how best to protect the nation's schools and whether armed teachers should be part of that equation.

Landsberry, 45, was a military veteran and leaves behind a wife and two stepdaughters. Sparks Mayor Geno Martini said Landsberry served two tours in Afghanistan with the Nevada National Guard.

On his school website, Landsberry posted a picture of a brown bear and took on a tough-love tone, telling students, "I have one classroom rule and it is very simple: "Thou Shall Not Annoy Mr. L.'"

"The kids loved him," his sister-in-law Chanda Landsberry said.

She added his life could be summed up by his love of his family, his students and his country.

"To hear that he was trying to stop that is not surprising by any means," she said.

Police said 150 to 200 officers responded to the shooting, including some from as far as 60 miles away.

Students from the middle school and neighboring elementary school were evacuated to the nearby high school, and classes were canceled. The middle school will remain closed for the week.

"As you can imagine, the best description is chaos," Robinson said. "It's too early to say whether he was targeting people or going on an indiscriminate shooting spree."

The shooting happened on the school's campus and ended outside the school building, according to police.

"I was deeply saddened to learn of the horrific shooting at Sparks Middle School this morning," Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval said in a statement extending his thoughts and prayers to those affected.

About 700 students in 7th and 8th grades are enrolled at the school, in a working class neighborhood.

"It's not supposed to happen here," Chanda Landsberry said.

"We're just Sparks - little Sparks, Nevada. It's unreal."

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