MedicCook
02-07-2008, 02:06 PM
Teacher Shot, Critically Wounded At Southern Ohio School
PORTSMOUTH, Ohio -- Police have fired tear gas into a home where they believe a man who shot and critically wounded a school teacher is hiding.
The shooting happened shortly after 9 a.m. at Notre Dame Elementary School.
Police told the Portsmouth Daily Times that Michael Layne came to the school, shot and stabbed his wife, Christy Layne, in a classroom at the school, then left the campus.
A state trooper said that children were present when the shooting took place.
One student said she and other students hid in a coatroom when Layne came in.
"We heard it all. We heard gunshots and we heard (Christy Layne) yelling," she said. "(When we came out) she was really bloody and she wasn't talking."
Layne was airlifted to Southern Ohio Medical Center, then Cabell Huntington Hospital in Huntington, W.V., where she is listed in critical condition.
Another person was stabbed in town before the shooting at the school, and Portsmouth police Capt. Rob Ware said police believe it was related to the shooting. He would not elaborate, but the Daily Times said the victim is believed to be Christy Layne's mother.
Police believe Michael Layne is barricaded in a home several blocks from the school with several weapons.
Video shows officers around the home, and a neighbor said at least five shots were fired in the home.
Kim Harris, who cares for a man who lives next door, said at one point police fired at the house after gunshots came from inside the home. Police "told us to get down on the floor and stay in the back of the house," she said.
Police said shortly after 12:30 p.m. that they have fired tear gas into the home and will likely make entry shortly.
Parents, many with cell phones clutched to their ears, congregated in the parking lot across the street from the school. They began leaving with their children around 10:30 a.m., said Kathy Hall, office manager of Cornerstone United Methodist Church.
"I wasn't afraid for my own safety, I was afraid for the children, because these turn out so terrible, you know," Hall said.
The school and another Catholic school nearby were locked down, said Deacon Tom Berg, vice chancellor of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus.
"We are mobilizing our crisis team and sending them down," Berg said.
Public schools also were put on lockdown, said Superintendent Jan Broughton, who oversees the community's public schools.
About 160 children from preschool through sixth grade attend the three-story, yellow brick school, which has 15 teachers.
News 5 has a crew going to Portsmouth and will have more on this story throughout the day.
http://www.wlwt.com/news/15242674/detail.html
PORTSMOUTH, Ohio -- Police have fired tear gas into a home where they believe a man who shot and critically wounded a school teacher is hiding.
The shooting happened shortly after 9 a.m. at Notre Dame Elementary School.
Police told the Portsmouth Daily Times that Michael Layne came to the school, shot and stabbed his wife, Christy Layne, in a classroom at the school, then left the campus.
A state trooper said that children were present when the shooting took place.
One student said she and other students hid in a coatroom when Layne came in.
"We heard it all. We heard gunshots and we heard (Christy Layne) yelling," she said. "(When we came out) she was really bloody and she wasn't talking."
Layne was airlifted to Southern Ohio Medical Center, then Cabell Huntington Hospital in Huntington, W.V., where she is listed in critical condition.
Another person was stabbed in town before the shooting at the school, and Portsmouth police Capt. Rob Ware said police believe it was related to the shooting. He would not elaborate, but the Daily Times said the victim is believed to be Christy Layne's mother.
Police believe Michael Layne is barricaded in a home several blocks from the school with several weapons.
Video shows officers around the home, and a neighbor said at least five shots were fired in the home.
Kim Harris, who cares for a man who lives next door, said at one point police fired at the house after gunshots came from inside the home. Police "told us to get down on the floor and stay in the back of the house," she said.
Police said shortly after 12:30 p.m. that they have fired tear gas into the home and will likely make entry shortly.
Parents, many with cell phones clutched to their ears, congregated in the parking lot across the street from the school. They began leaving with their children around 10:30 a.m., said Kathy Hall, office manager of Cornerstone United Methodist Church.
"I wasn't afraid for my own safety, I was afraid for the children, because these turn out so terrible, you know," Hall said.
The school and another Catholic school nearby were locked down, said Deacon Tom Berg, vice chancellor of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus.
"We are mobilizing our crisis team and sending them down," Berg said.
Public schools also were put on lockdown, said Superintendent Jan Broughton, who oversees the community's public schools.
About 160 children from preschool through sixth grade attend the three-story, yellow brick school, which has 15 teachers.
News 5 has a crew going to Portsmouth and will have more on this story throughout the day.
http://www.wlwt.com/news/15242674/detail.html