The Latest: Police: Teacher carried gun into school in bag

ATLANTA (AP) – The Latest on a high school teacher accused of firing a gunshot in his classroom in north Georgia (all times local):

11:40 a.m.

Police in north Georgia say a teacher accused of causing chaos at his high school by firing a gunshot in his classroom used a computer bag to conceal the weapon as he brought it into school.

Dalton police spokesman Bruce Frazier said investigators believe social studies teacher Jesse Randal Davidson brought the .38-caliber snub-nose revolver into Dalton High School before the school day began on Wednesday. The school is a gun-free zone, but does not have metal detectors.

Frazier police believe Davidson owns the gun. The 53-year-old teacher is accused of barricading himself inside a classroom and firing the weapon, sending students fleeing for their lives and causing a lockdown on campus. No one was hit.

The incident adds fuel an intense debate over whether teachers should be armed as a way to make schools safer.

Classes are cancelled at a North Georgia High School this morning after police arrested a teacher for firing a gun inside his classroom. https://t.co/iKUSKThogb pic.twitter.com/cjG1VGO7il

— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) March 1, 2018

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1 a.m.

When a gunshot was fired from a classroom in the north Georgia mountains and police identified the gunman as a teacher, it immediately pierced the national debate over whether educators should be armed.

Students were already venting on social media as police arrested Dalton High School social studies teacher Jesse Randal Davidson on Wednesday.

In one tweet shared thousands of times, a Dalton student wrote: “I dare you to tell me arming teachers will make us safe.”

The 53-year-old teacher is accused of barricading himself inside a classroom and firing a handgun, sending students running outside or hiding in a darkened gym locker. No one was hit.

Dalton police said the teacher provided no motive when he was interviewed by detectives. He remained jailed Wednesday evening on a half-dozen criminal charges.

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