Students return to school days after police say teacher fired gun in classroom

DALTON, Ga. — Students returned to a north Georgia high school Friday morning, two days after police said a teacher fired a gun in a classroom.

No one was hurt in the Wednesday incident at Dalton High School, but the situation prompted school officials to cancel classes Thursday.

School reopened Friday with additional police, counselors and faith-based leaders on hand.

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Dalton police responded to calls about the teacher, Jesse Randal Davidson, 53, twice since March 2016, police told Channel 2 Action News.

Once, police said, he tried to confess to murder, telling officers that he had someone killed. Investigators said that information was unfounded and they took Davidson to the hospital to be treated for suicidal thoughts.

Another time, he disappeared from campus and was found hours later sitting unresponsive on a curb about a mile away from school, police said.

Dalton school officials said they were aware of those incidents.

On Wednesday, police say Davidson barricaded himself in his classroom, took the snub-nose .38 revolver and fired a shot through the window. No one was injured. Davidson surrendered to police shortly after.

The shooting this week caused panic in the high school, after the recent mass shooting in Florida.

"We were in shock cause we heard it happen," student Savannah Elkins said. "After that, we just heard a bunch of screaming from a few classes down."

Davidson faces several charges, including reckless conduct and bringing a gun on school grounds.

Cox Media Group