Jackson middle school student dies from gunshot injury

Lydia Taylor

The seventh-grade student who sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound Tuesday at Jackson Memorial Middle School died Wednesday afternoon.

The police and Summit County Coroner’s Office are still investigating the incident.

Before 8 a.m. Tuesday morning, the school went into a four-hour lockdown after hearing the gunshot. Police said it happened in a boy’s restroom with a .22 long rifle. Authorities soon deemed the students and staff safe and began releasing students to their parents shortly after 12 p.m. All Jackson Local Schools had been shut down and students were dismissed.

Authorities asked all students and staff to leave personal belongings inside the school, including backpacks, until Wednesday morning.

Jackson Police gave a press conference at 2 p.m. Tuesday, revealing the student had “distractionary devices” in his backpack, but nothing resembled explosives. It is unclear why the student brought the gun to school.

Superintendent  of Jackson Local Schools Chris DiLoreto said he notified all parents of the incident as soon as the school went into lockdown via notifications.

Lydia Taylor is the editor. Contact her at [email protected].