Teacher Accidentally Fires Gun in Classroom, Injuring Three

Teacher Accidentally Fires Gun in Classroom, Injuring Three

A teacher accidentally discharged a firearm while teaching a public safety class at a Northern California school on Tuesday, according to police.

  • By Jessica Davis
  • March 15, 2018

A teacher accidentally discharged a firearm while teaching a public safety class at a Northern California school on Tuesday, according to police. Three students were injured, though none of the injuries were serious, police said.

Dennis Alexander, who is also a reserve officer with the Sand City Police Department, was teaching a course about gun safety for his Administration of Justice class at Seaside High School in Seaside, California, when he pointed his gun toward the ceiling and accidentally fired it, according to police chief Abdul Pridgen.

A 17-year-old student was injured by a bullet fragment or by debris that fell from the ceiling, Pridgen said. The student’s injuries appeared superficial and were not life-threatening.

Monterey Peninsula Unified School District sent a letter to parents to notify them that its human resources department, the high school’s administrators, and the Seaside Police Department “immediately began investigating the incident, including interviewing students in the class.”

"I think a lot of questions on parents' minds are, why a teacher would be pointing a loaded firearm at the ceiling in front of students," Monterey Peninsula Unified School District Superintendent PK Diffenbaugh said. "Clearly in this incident protocols were not followed."

Alexander has been placed on administrative leave from his teaching job and at the Police Department, according to both school and police officials.

About the Author

Jessica Davis is the Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media.

Featured

  • California School District Modernizes Surveillance System

    i-PRO Co., Ltd. (formerly Panasonic Security), a provider of professional security solutions for surveillance and public safety, recently announced that the Murietta Valley Unified School District (MVUSD) in Riverside County, CA, has undertaken a project to modernize its first-generation surveillance system to new high-resolution i-PRO network cameras, and the i-PRO Video Insight video management system (VMS). Read Now

  • RAD Makes History with First Robotic Dog Deployed to Taylor Police Department

    Robotic Assistance Devices, Inc. (RAD), a subsidiary of Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions, Inc., recently announced that it has delivered a RADDOG LE to the Taylor, Michigan Police Department. The delivery of RADDOG LE to the Taylor Police Department marks a historic moment in the integration of technology within law enforcement. This milestone underscores RAD’s commitment to revolutionizing the landscape of security and public safety through cutting-edge AI-powered, robotic solutions. Read Now

  • Passing the Test

    The discussion about secured access and access control for higher education and K-12 is continuously expanding and evolving. That is a good thing. The more knowledge we gain and the more solutions that become available, linked and interoperable, the better and higher the level of security and safety. Read Now

  • Driving a Major Shift

    One of the driving forces for change has been the high demand for unified solutions. Users are asking their vendors for a way to manage all their security systems through a single interface, from a single pane. This has led to a flurry of software development to seamlessly integrate access control systems with video surveillance, intrusion detection, visitor management, health monitoring, analytics with artificial intelligence (AI), and more. Read Now

Most   Popular

Webinars