Teacher Mark Foster Shoots Principal, Assistant, at Knoxville Elementary School, Say Police
Photo: From left, Elisa Luna, Mark Foster and Amy Brace.
Police charged the 48-year-old fourth-grade teacher with two counts of attempted first-degree murder for allegedly shooting Principal Elisa Luna and Assistant Principal Amy Brace. No motive has been mentioned.
Foster was arrested a short distance from the school after his car was stopped at a highway construction roadblock, Police Chief Sterling Owen IV said. He surrendered without incident and police said they recovered a revolver.
University of Tennessee Medical Center officials said Luna was in critical condition and Brace was in stable condition Wednesday afternoon.
The Knoxville News Sentinel reported that the suspect's brother tried to get a protective order against Mark Foster last year, claiming Foster had threatened his family.
"I am very afraid of what he might do to me or my family. He suffers from mental illness and has been treated for it for several yeasr," the petition says. "I have had to call the sheriff's department several times in the past and he seems to be getting worse."
A court dismissed the petition in May.
A profile on the Inskip school's Web site for Foster includes a picture and description that says, "I love teaching 4th grade. Every child is a winner."
Tennessee Department of Education spokeswoman Rachel Woods said Foster received an apprentice teacher license for grades K-6 in the summer of 2007. An apprentice license is issued when someone first starts teaching, before they have tenure, she said.
Foster is being held on a $1 million bond.