Stewartville Superintendent Belinda Selfors says she and her staff are focused on supporting students and staff after a Friday morning shooting at the high school’s parking lot left one student in critical condition and the alleged adult shooter dead.
“Our focus is on the safety and well-being of our staff, our students and our families,” Selfors said during a news conference Friday morning.
“As soon as we learned about the situation this morning, we canceled all classes for students across the district to prioritize their safety and the safety of our staff and to give law enforcement full access to the scene,” she added.
The Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the shooting. Details about what led up to the incident, as well as the names and ages of those involved, have not been released as of early Friday afternoon.
The sheriff’s office says the student was taken to Mayo Clinic Hospital-Saint Marys for immediate surgery. He remained in critical, but stable condition. The adult male was found with a rifle in his hand and an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Selfors said response plans were being finalized Friday morning and would be sent to families as soon as they are completed.
“Care and support will be available for students and staff over the weekend, and when school resumes on Monday,” she said.
Sheriff Kevin Torgerson, who lives in Stewartville, said his department is leaving the planning of resuming classes to the school district, but said there are benefits to bringing students together as soon as possible.
“From my experience, being around the schools for a number of years, it’s also good to have the kids together,” he said. “They can support each other, too.”
The shooting happened around 5 a.m. Friday, as the Stewartville wrestling team was preparing to head to a two-day meet in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
With roughly 40 teammates and school staff at the scene, Torgerson said many of the students on the bus were initially unaware of the shooting. He also noted that because it happened before school hours, there was not a need to lock down the school building.
Still, he said, community support quickly arrived at the scene as students were held until they could be reconnected with their families on Friday morning.
“We had our chaplaincy group, and I know there were some other pastoral folks that were here already,” he said. “School counselors were deployed immediately to the school to be with the team.
“I feel really comfortable and confident in saying the school district has done a phenomenal job in supporting the students and the coaches.”
With support expected to continue as plans for next week are being made, Selfors asked community members to pray for those touched by the tragedy.
“I ask that we show grace and kindness, avoid speculation and keep supporting one another,” she said.
Selfors and Torgerson urged the community to refrain from spreading rumors about the incident and wait for details to emerge as the investigation continues.
“I know that’s a big ask in the world of social media,” the sheriff said.
Related Articles
Rick Beeson: Fairview, UMP deal jeopardizes health care statewide
Moorhead student, 13, suspected of bringing 1,500 fentanyl pills to school
DNR buys nearly 16,000 acres in northern Minnesota
Duluth hunter charged with illegally shooting moose said he mistook it for a deer
Student injured, man dead in shooting outside southeastern Minnesota high school
Leave a Reply