Police: Teen had no intention of hurting classmates in Lacey shooting

A 16-year-old boy shot a gun twice at North Thurston High School Monday morning, but police said there’s no indication he planned on hurting his classmates.

Lacey police commander Jim Mack said in a news conference that the shooter wanted to be hurt.

Mack said that the boy fired one shot outside of the gym and another into the air after he went downstairs into the commons area.

Related: Lacey teacher said ‘No one…can prepare for a situation like this’

A school resource officer on campus removed his gun from his holster, but didn’t have a clean shot.

“He wanted the school resource officer to potentially shoot him,” Mack said.

That’s when Brady Olson, who teaches Advanced Placement government and civics, tackled the shooter.

No injuries were reported, according to police.

Mack said the boy, a recent transfer student from Rainier High School, took a revolver from his parents’ home. His parents are cooperating with investigators.

A school district spokesperson said she couldn’t speak as to what the teen was like at his previous school, but there was nothing on their radar to trigger a red flag.

“A lot of the students didn’t know who he was,” said North Thurston schools spokesperson Courtney Shrieve.

Austin Day told KIRO Radio he was walking through the commons when he heard gunfire.

“I heard a loud bang. I instantly thought it might be a shot, but I wasn’t sure. There was a few seconds before a few more popped off. The teacher started running into the gym. Everyone just started running. It was pretty crazy.”

A school spokeswoman said Olson is a popular teacher, and she could see him tackling the teen.

Teia Patan, a senior in one of Olson’s civics classes, says if anyone at the school were to do something like that, he would have guessed it would be Olson.

“I say he’s gotta have some pretty big guts to be able to tackle a kid with a gun,” Mackenzie, a student at the school, told KIRO Radio.

Mackenzie’s mom, Stephanie said, “He’s my hero of the day.”

“I think it’s absolutely very heroic of him, very brave of him,” Mack said. “And I’m definitely glad he was working today.”

The school was placed in lockdown immediately after the incident.

School and all activities were canceled Monday. The district said that class will resume Tuesday, but parents have the option of excusing their children. Counselors will be on campus.

Schools in at least one neighboring district had heightened security because of the incident. Officers and staff from the Olympia Police Departmentvisited schools in the Olympia School District throughout the day, according to the district.

KIRO Radio’s Josh Kerns contributed to this report.