NOBLESVILLE, Ind. -- An Indiana science teacher was released from a hospital a day after he was shot while tackling an armed student inside his classroom, a congressman said Saturday.
U.S. Rep. Susan Brooks, R-Ind., posted a video on Twitter saying she met Jason Seaman during a visit to Noblesville West Middle School.
"He is that hero teacher who stopped the shooter from hurting more young people," Brooks said.
The only other person shot, student Ella Whistler, was in critical but stable condition, according to her family members. They released a statement saying they were still trying to process "what happened and why."
President Donald Trump sent a tweet Saturday thanking Seaman "for his heroic act in saving so many precious young lives. His quick and automatic action is being talked about all over the world!"
Vice President Mike Pence, the former governor of Indiana, also credited the teacher's "courageous action" for saving lives during the shooting at the suburban Indianapolis school.
"We're all proud of you Jason and are praying for you and those impacted and recovering from injuries," Pence said in his own tweet.
Janna Lynas of Noblesville, whose son was coached by Seaman in football, said the teacher is a hero "and everyone here feels it."
"I believe it was probably very instinctual with him. There was potential for a lot of lives being lost," Lynas said Saturday.
She said she wasn't surprised to hear that Seaman intervened to save students. Lynas said Seaman emphasized character last year when he coached her son.
"He made it very clear: Yes, we are going to be playing football but if your grades aren't good, you're not going to be playing football," Lynas said.
Ethan Stonebraker, a student witness, said the shooter was acting suspiciously when he walked into the classroom Friday. He told ABC News that Seaman threw a basketball at the shooter and ran toward the bullets as screaming students sought cover behind a table.
Investigators say the shooter likely acted alone, but declined to released his name or say whether he had been in trouble before.
Ethan said he knew the suspect, describing him as "a nice kid most of the times" and said he often joked with the classmates.
"It's just a shock he would do something like that," Ethan said.
The attack came a week after a shooting at a high school in Santa Fe, Texas, that killed eight students and two teachers, and months after the high school attack that killed 17 people in Parkland, Fla. After the Florida attack, students across the country were inspired to call for more restrictions on access to guns.
Information for this article was contributed by Ken Kusmer of The Associated Press.
A Section on 05/27/2018