N.D. student brings gun to school, shoots self

FAIRMOUNT, N.D. Residents of the small southeastern North Dakota community of Fairmount are rattled after a high school boy brought a gun to class and shot himself.

Mayor Jon Nelk calls it "a tragic day" that will shake up the town of 370 people for a long time.

Principal Jay Townsend says the boy survived what officials believe was a suicide attempt Thursday morning. He says the boy did not threaten anyone else.

The freshman boy was taken to a hospital in Breckenridge, Minn. Townsend says the boy was coherent. The hospital refused to release information on his condition.

Townsend says the K-12 school has about 110 students. The school was put into lockdown for about an hour after the incident, then students were allowed to leave with their parents.

[mom_j]

My niece attends that school. Thankfully she is in elementary. It opened my eyes and reminded me how being a teenager feels sometimes. I went through moments where I thought ending it was the only option. I hope this young man now will get the help he needs because he has the world in his hands as long as everyone around him is there to hear him when he feels like this. I also decided to talk to my oldest child about this. I want her to understand that if she ever feels this way, her dad and I would do everything it takes to help her. I will talk to my other children when they are old enough. My thoughts and prayers go out to this young man and his family. I hope he sees that his future is bright and unending with possibilities.

[rwsmith29456]

Two good things. He didn't hurt anybody else and he survived hopefully to get counseling that may help him.