California Teacher, Reserve Officer Accidentally Fires Gun in Class

Police were called to Seaside High School in Seaside, CA, on Tuesday afternoon after a report that a teacher accidentally fired a handgun in a classroom full of students.

The teacher was identified as Dennis Alexander, a reserve police officer for Sand City, according to a press release from the Seaside Police Department. Alexander was believed to have been providing instruction related to public safety awareness when he fired a single shot from a semi-automatic handgun into the ceiling.

According to Seaside Police Chief Abdul D. Pridgen, a student was struck in the neck by debris or a fragment after the bullet ricocheted off the ceiling. The student was not seriously injured. Pridgen said class resumed after the incident was brought under control.

Alexander has taught the course in the past but Pridgen said he doesn’t know if he’d ever brought a live firearm to the school before. An investigation is ongoing and Pridgen said the police department will handle the situation like any other investigation, the Monterey Herald reports.