Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Idaho Teacher Hailed As Hero After Disarming And Hugging Middle School Shooter Until Help Arrived

Idaho Teacher Hailed As Hero After Disarming And Hugging Middle School Shooter Until Help Arrived
Good Morning America/YouTube

Middle school math teacher Krista Gneiting became a hero in her small town in Idaho when she disarmed and hugged a school shooter until authorities could arrive on the scene.

Gneiting recounted her story in an interview on ABC News that aired on Good Morning America.


You can watch the segment here:

youtu.be

Gneiting was preparing her students at Rigby Middle School for their final exams when gun shots were heard throughout the school. She looked out into the hallway and saw the janitor on the floor.

Then she instructed her students to exit the building and run to the high school:

"So I just told my students, 'We are going to leave, we're going to run to the high school, you're going to run hard, you're not going to look back and now is the time to get up and go.'

Gneiting explained what happened when she saw the shooter, a sixth grade girl:

"It was a little girl and my brain couldn't quite grasp that."
"I looked at her and I just quietly said, 'Are you the shooter?' and she just watched me."
"And I just walked up to her and I put my hand over her hand and I just slowly pulled the gun out of her hand."
"She allowed me to. She didn't fight, she didn't give it to me but she didn't fight."
"And then after I got the gun I just pulled her into a hug because I thought, 'This little girl has a mom somewhere that doesn't realize she's having a breakdown and she's hurting people.'"

Gneiting called 9-1-1 and waited with the girl for the police to arrive.

During that time, she expressed compassion, empathy and courage.

"After a while, the girl started talking to me and I could tell she was very unhappy."
"I just kept hugging her and loving her and trying to let her know that we're going to get through this together."
"I do believe that my being there helped her because she calmed down."

In a press conference held by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, they explained two students and the janitor were the only ones injured during the shooting, with wounds in extremities that were non-life threatening.

The girl has not be released and an investigation is underway.

She resides in Idle Falls, Idaho. The parties involved in the investigation are the Idaho State Police, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, Bonneville Sheriff's Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Idle Falls Police Department, Rigby Police Department, Rexburg Police Department, and Madison County Sheriff's Office.

Gneiting has received an outpouring of support for her ability to deescalate the situation, saving lives and preventing further injury.







Though, many are asking where a sixth grader was able to get a gun, commenting on the U.S. issues with gun violence.

Others asked why a teacher could deescalate a violent situation when many police have chosen excessive or deadly force to deal with unarmed people of color.










In 2021 alone, there have already been seven school shootings. Education Weeklyreports Covid forcing students and teachers to remote learning decreased the number of shootings in 2020.

Krista Gneiting hoped the community could forgive the girl for her actions.

"She's just barely starting in life and she just needs some help."
"Everybody makes mistakes. I think we need to make sure we get her help and get her back into where she loves herself so that she can function in society."

Though Gneiting showed the girl compassion, she may not receive that from the criminal justice system.

Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Taylor told reporters she could be charged with three counts of attempted murder, but those charges remain sealed with the juvenile court system.

More from Trending

Kid Rock
Todd Kirkland/Getty Images

Kid Rock Dragged After Donning A Truly Over-The-Top Outfit For His White House Visit

Singer Kid Rock was slammed for wearing a loud patriotic costume inside the Oval Office as Republican President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday against ticket scalping.

The rocker's outfit consisted of a red, white, and blue jacket emblazoned with two eagles facing each other above the American flag with the number 250, a nod to America's upcoming 250th anniversary, and white stars on his sleeves.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Bill Cassidy
CNBC

MAGA Senator Just Said The Quiet Part Out Loud With Epic Freudian Slip About Medicare

Louisiana Republican Senator Bill Cassidy was widely mocked following his inconvenient slip of the tongue during a CNBC interview as he mused about finding ways to "cut" Medicare before quickly correcting himself.

The exchange occurred after host Rebecca Quick pressed Louisiana Republican and former physician Bill Cassidy on how his party intended to fund the “trillion-dollar tax cuts” sought by President Donald Trump.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Tim Sheehy
CNN

GOP Senator Gets Blunt Reality Check After Comparing Trump Tariff 'Pain' To Home Renovation

Montana Republican Senator Tim Sheehy was criticized after he tried to compare the "short-term pain" of President Donald Trump's tariffs to home renovation, a claim so ridiculous that CNN's Kaitlan Collins quickly pushed back on the analogy.

Trump has repeatedly referred to April 2 as “Liberation Day,” pledging to impose tariffs—taxes on imports—to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign goods. He has framed these tariffs as “reciprocal,” aiming to match the duties other nations place on American exports.

Keep ReadingShow less
Susan Crawford; Elon Musk
Scott Olson/Getty Images (left and right)

Liberal Wisconsin Judge Calls Out Elon Musk In Victory Speech—And It's Everything

Liberal judge Susan Crawford called out billionaire Elon Musk in her victory speech after winning a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, basking in successfully beating her Republican opponent Brad Schimel and ensuring that the nonpartisan court’s narrow 4-3 liberal majority remains intact despite Musk's efforts to sway the race.

Musk fueled the high-stakes race, having poured more than $20 million into supporting Schimel, according to state campaign records. That includes $3 million to the state Republican Party—$2 million of which was donated just last week. Due to state election laws, large contributions must be funneled through political parties before reaching candidates.

Keep ReadingShow less

People Describe The Worst 'Bonus' They've Ever Gotten At Work

Most of us have worked at one problematic workplace, with reasons ranging from toxic coworkers to terrible bosses to unlivable pay. Sometimes, it feels like a joke that the employees are even being paid at all!

But the biggest joke of all might be the end-of-year bonus, or lack thereof. They're at times so laughable, they take the cake for horrible work conditions, or are quite literally, a slice of cake.

Keep ReadingShow less