Wounded Teacher Ran After US School Shooter, Swatted Gun Out Of His Hand

Agencies
May 26, 2018

Washington, May 26: A teacher at an Indiana middle school where a student opened fire with two handguns is being hailed as a hero after reportedly helping to subdue the shooter in his classroom.

Jason Seaman, 29, a former football player at Southern Illinois University and a 13-year-old female student were wounded by gunfire in the shooting, which broke out around 9 a.m. on Friday morning at a middle school in Noblesville, a town of 62,000 just northeast of Indianapolis.

Police said that a student asked to be excused from class at Noblesville West Middle School and then returned with two handguns and opened fire.

Students and parents of students from the school told news outlets that Seaman helped stop the shooter.

"Our science teacher immediately ran at him, swatted a gun out of his hand and tackled him to the ground," Seventh-grader Ethan Stonebraker told the Associated Press. "If it weren't for him, more of us would have been injured for sure."

Stonebraker described the incident in more detail to ABC News, saying that Seaman threw a basketball at the shooter.

"Immediately Mr. Seaman was yelling and running right at him and tackled him to the ground," Ethan said. "I was trying to stay crouched behind the back table, but also see what's going on and that's when [Mr. Seaman] was running right at him with this arms in front of him, and then he just tackled him against the wall. Then they were on the ground after [Mr. Seaman] swatted the gun from him and he just laid on the shooter so he couldn't do anything."

Police said they arrested the shooter and said the "situation resolved fairly quickly," but did not confirm the accounts of Seaman's reaction or details about how they arrested the shooter. A police officer assigned to the school was on duty and in the building, they said.

"Wait 'til one day we can tell you that story," Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter said, according to the AP. "You'll be proud of them, too."

Seaman released a statement published by local media outlets, thanking the police and emergency responders for their action and care.

"I want to let everyone know that I was injured but am doing great," the statement said. "To all students, you are all wonderful and I thank you for your support. You are the reason I teach."

His mother, Kristi J. Hubly Seaman, said in a Facebook post that he had been shot three times: once through the abdomen, and one on his hip and forearm. Police said Seaman was in good condition as of Friday night; the injured student, who has not been publicly identified was in critical condition.

The attack comes a week after another school shooter killed 10 people at Santa Fe High School in Texas, which has contributed to the long-simmering debate about gun violence and gun control.

Seaman's brother, Jeremy, told the IndyStar that Seaman had two young children. He said he wasn't surprised by the reports of his brother's bravery.

"It's not surprising, to be honest," he said. "He's not really ever been the person to run away."

Seaman played for Southern Illinois from 2007 to 2010 as a defensive end, notching 88 tackles and eight sacks with two forced fumbles in 47 games for the Salukis. He was a three-sport athlete when he attended high school in Mahomet, Ill. Jeremy told the newspaper.

"He's familiar with struggle and adversity," he said.

Nick Hill, who is the head coach at Southern Illinois and played as a teammate of Seaman's, said he was a "great teammate, one of the team's hardest workers."

"You could always trust him to do the right thing," Hill said.

Gov. Eric Holcomb, R, released a statement saying his "thoughts are with all those affected by this horrible situation."

Molly Miles, a Noblesville High School freshman, told the IndyStar that she remembered Seaman telling the class that he would keep them safe in the event of a shooting.

"I especially remember that he would throw himself on top of the shooter if he had to," she said. "Which he proved today. He always said that he was willing to sacrifice himself before he was willing to let anything happen to his students."

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News Network
February 10,2020

New Delhi, Feb 10: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah's sister on Monday moved the Supreme Court to challenge his detention under the Public Safety Act.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the petitioner, mentioned the matter for urgent listing before a bench headed by Justice N V Ramana.

Sibal told the bench that they have filed a habeas corpus petition challenging the detention of Abdullah under the PSA and the matter should be heard this week.

The bench agreed for urgent listing of the matter.

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News Network
June 15,2020

Sitamarhi, Jun 15: Eyewitness accounts from locals in Bihar's Sitamarhi district recount the brutality and intimidation by Nepal's security personnel who on June 12 had resorted to unprovoked firing on a group of people at the international border, which left one Indian dead and two others injured.

"18-20 shots were fired for over one hour and everyone is in shock even now," said Nitish Kumar, a resident of Jankinagar recalling the incident that took place early on Friday morning.

Nepal's Armed Police Force (APF) opened fire at the Lalbandi-Jankinagar border in which three men - Vikesh Yadav, Umesh Ram and Uday Thakur - suffered gunshot injuries. Vikash Yadav succumbed to his injuries on Friday itself.

Another person Lagan Kishore, who was at the border with his family to meet his daughter-in-law, a Nepali national and her family, said he was detained by the APF personnel who dragged him to the other side of the border.

Lagan Kishore said that the Nepali personnel abused and hit him with rifle butts and even abused his son and later resorted to firing.

Several residents of Jankinagar, who spoke to media, termed the incident as "unfortunate and shocking".

Nitish Kumar recalled: "A family was here to meet their in-laws (Nepali nationals). The daughter-in-law was talking to her family while her husband and her father-in-law sat a little distance away. Suddenly I saw Nepali personnel abusing her husband who complained about it to his father. All of a sudden the Nepali forces started thrashing them and then opened fire. They also took the father into custody."

"We were all shocked. I could hear about 18-20 gunshots fired over a period of one hour," Kumar said.

Another local, Ajit Kumar, said he was perplexed with the behaviour of the Nepali Police.

"There used to be no problems earlier. We don't understand what happened to the Nepal Police that day. The firing is unfortunate. If this continues, how will people in the border area live?" he questioned.

Ajit Kumar stated that such an incident has taken place for the first time. "People from here go to work in fields in Nepal and their people come to work in our fields. Such a thing has happened for the first time. About 80 per cent of our people are married to Nepalis," he said.

Many people who live in the adjoining districts of Bihar, which shares over 600 kilometres of border with Nepal, have relatives on either side of the border.

Meanwhile, Nepali police have claimed that Lagan Kishore, who was taken into custody following the firing by APF and handed over to Indian Security Forces at no man's land on June 13, was detained for trying to snatch a weapon from one of their personnel during an altercation.

However, both Kishore and his family have denied the claims and said he was "dragged" across the border and was beaten.

Kishore said that during the firing he had rushed towards the Indian side but Nepalese personnel hit him with rifle butt and took him to Nepal's Sangrampur. He was also asked to confess that he was taken into custody from the Nepali side.

"We ran to return to India when they started firing, but they dragged me from the Indian side, hit me with a rifle butt and took me to Nepal's Sangrampur. They told me to confess that I was brought there from Nepal. I told them you can kill me but I was brought there from India," said Kishore.

Kishore's son also said that Nepali personnel started abusing them and hit him and his father.

Speaking to ANI, Kishore's son said, "We went to meet my brother-in-law. Security personnel started abusing me but I could not understand their language. However, my brother's wife asked them to not abuse. After that, they came to the Indian side and hit me. I told my father about the incident and he confronted them."

"They started beating him and called fellow personnel who started firing and dragged my father from the Indian side, hit him with a rifle butt and took him to Nepal''s Sangrampur," he said.

Relations have become strained between India and Nepal after the latter released a map showing parts of Indian Territory-Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura as its own.

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Agencies
June 7,2020

New Delhi, Jun 7: A day after India and China military commanders held "cordial and positive" talks at Chushul-Moldo point along the Line of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh, Ministry of External Affairs said the two countries have agreed to "peacefully" resolve the situation in the border areas by continuing the military and diplomatic engagements.

The Indian delegation led by 14 Corps Commander Lt Gen Harinder Singh on Saturday met his Chinese equivalent Maj Gen Liu Lin, who is the commander of South Xinjiang Military Region of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, to address the ongoing tussle in Eastern Ladakh.

In a statement on Sunday, the MEA said that the meeting between the Corps Commander based in Leh and the Chinese Commander took place in a "cordial and positive atmosphere".

"Both sides agreed to peacefully resolve the situation in the border areas in accordance with various bilateral agreements and keeping in view the agreement between the leaders that peace and tranquillity in the India-China border regions is essential for the overall development of bilateral relations," the statement read.

They also noted that this year marked the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and agreed that an early resolution would contribute to the further development of the relationship.

"Accordingly, the two sides will continue the military and diplomatic engagements to resolve the situation and to ensure peace and tranquillity in the border areas," it further read.

China has moved its troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Eastern Ladakh areas including the Finger area, Pangong Tso Lake, and Galwan Nala area.

The meeting between military commanders was to discuss and resolve the stand-off in Eastern Ladakh.

Following the meeting, the Army Headquarters' Directorate General of Military Operations also briefed the Ministry of External Affairs and other concerned government officials about the discussions.

On Friday, officials of India and China interacted through video-conferencing with the two sides agreeing that they should handle "their differences through peaceful discussion" while respecting each other's sensitivities and concerns and not allowing them to become disputes in accordance with the guidance provided by the leadership.

In the last few days, there has not been any major movement of the PLA troops at the multiple sites where it has stationed itself along the LAC opposite Indian forces.

The Chinese Army's intent to carry out deeper incursions was checked by the Indian security forces by quick deployment.

The Chinese have also brought in heavy vehicles with artillery guns and infantry combat vehicles in their rear positions close to the Indian territory.

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