A Mattoon High School teacher's quick response prevented the escalation of a frightening situation recently, according to the Edgar County Watchdogs (ECW) and WAND.
A student reportedly opened fire at the school at approximately 11:32 a.m. on Wednesday, WAND reported, injuring one person. In a 911 call made shortly after the shooting and published by the ECW, a panicked student tells the dispatcher that he heard four gunshots and saw a revolver and smoke in the cafeteria before being told to flee the building by administrators.
The shooter was quickly disarmed by the Mattoon High teacher, according to WAND, and the injured person was listed in stable condition at Sarah Bush Lincoln Hospital. Students were evacuated from the high school to Riddle Elementary School, where their parents could pick them up.
Mattoon residents living near the high school told WAND that the police response was quick. Police from several stations locked down the high school, though the ECW reported that there was a collision between a truck and a sheriff’s deputy responding to the shooting.
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