A Van schools employee was shot accidentally during a concealed handgun license class on Wednesday.
The Tyler Morning Telegraph reported that the class was part of an effort to permit teachers to carry firearms on Van Independent School District campuses. The district decided in January to arm teachers after the Sandy Hook elementary school mass shooting in Newton, Conn., in December, the Telegraph reported.
Other East Texas school districts that have adopted similar gun policies include Westwood ISD, Cayuga ISD and Union Grove ISD, the Telegraph said. The policy was first adopted by Harrold ISD near Wichita Falls in 2007, according to the Telegraph.
KLTV identified the wounded employee as Glenn Geddie, who works in the maintenance department for Van ISD. KLTV reported that Geddie is at ETMC in Tyler, listed in fair condition.
From the school district's release:
At the conclusion of the CHL training on February 27, 2013, one certified person stayed for private instruction with the instructor and had a mechanical malfunction with his weapon. With the assistance of the instructor, the malfunction was addressed, but the gun misfired and the bullet ricocheted coming back to strike the VISD employee in the left leg. The VISD employee was attended to at the scene and transferred to Tyler for further treatment. The injury is not life threatening or disabling. Because of privacy and security issues we cannot make any further statement.
