NOBLESVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — A Hamilton County judge has decided against releasing the 2018 Noblesville school shooter, the city’s mayor said Thursday.
The 13-year-old boy shot and injured classmate Ella Whistler and teacher Jason Seamen on May 28, 2018, at Noblesville West Middle School. He was charged as a juvenile.
Hamilton Circuit Judge Paul Felix in November 2018 sentenced the boy, who has not been publicly identified, to stay incarcerated with the Indiana Department of Corrections until he turned 18. The shooter has turned 18, the mayor said.
According to the mayor, Felix said the 18-year-old would remain in the Hamilton County Juvenile Detention Center and receive a psychological assessment from the Indiana Department of Child Services. Once the assessment is complete, Felix said he will have another hearing to assess the findings.
In an unusual act, Noblesville Mayor Chris Jensen shared the news from the court, which has limited public access to the juvenile case.
Jensen wrote, “I wanted to share this update with our community so you are aware and informed of the updated legal status of this case. I know the actions of that day still impact countless individuals and families.”
The mayor also said he’s regularly been in touch with the Noblesville Schools superintendent on the juvenile court case.
“The Noblesville Police Department also has been working closely with school district officials and Noblesville Schools communicated plans to their parents and staff last week,” the mayor said. “We continue to partner with fellow law enforcement agencies and Noblesville Schools to proactively monitor this situation to ensure the safety of our community and its residents.”
Previous coverage
- Judge sentences Noblesville school shooter: ‘You wanted devastation’
- Hearing reveals planning by boy accused of Noblesville school shooting
- Teacher who stopped Noblesville school shooter wins vacation, $15,000
NOBLESVILLE, Ind. (WISH) – Police in Noblesville are investigating after an anonymous threat was posted against Noblesville Middle School, according to the school district.
The school says, in an email sent out to parents and staff, an anonymous threat on social media named the school and had Tuesday as the date for something to happen.
A school spokesperson says what started as an online social media exchange about the shooting that occurred on May 25, 2018, escalated over the weekend.
Noblesville West will be in session on Tuesday. However, the school spokesperson says any student who chooses to stay home Tuesday will be excused.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — About 1,000 school administrators and teachers visited the city Monday for this year’s Indiana School Safety Specialists Academy.
They learned how to make threat assessments, how to handle a digital or written school threat, and ways to respond to an active shooter. Administrators and teachers will return to their home districts and share what they’ve learned.
“There are some districts that have been through some crises and our lessons learned from them are being shared, which is powerful for the state,” said Jennifer McCormick, Indiana superintendent of public instruction. “The whole gamut’s being covered in that advanced training, which we think is extremely important.”
The educators also heard about lessons learned from the May 25, 2018, shooting at Noblesville West Middle School.
“We’ve learned a lot about being diligent and asking for a lot of help from across the nation by experts that have been shared,” McCormick said. “Unfortunately, you never want to learn from an event like that, but shame on us if we don’t take that and learn from it.”
The well-being of children was also a focus of the training. In one session, educators learned about the warning signs of destructive behaviors of youths.
“We have partnered with a great deal of agencies and a system of care across Indiana, so the need is there. We are second in the nation on teen suicide, so the problem isn’t going away,” McCormick said. “Us pretending it’s not a problem is not helpful. Schools will proceed. Schools will do what’s right.”
The biennial budget recently approved by state lawmakers and the governor including a boost in school safety grant funding, from $5 million to $19 million annually. That will help schools, McCormick worried, it may not be enough money.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re running a hospital. It doesn’t matter if you’re running a Statehouse or a schoolhouse. Safety is expensive,” McCormick said. “For us to pretend like it’s not or try to rationalize minimal dollars, doesn’t seem like that makes a whole lot of sense for a state.”
The plan after these couple of days is for these administrators and teachers to go back to their home districts and share what they’ve learned.
NOBLESVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — A change of venue has been granted in the civil lawsuit filed by the parents of the student shot at a middle school in Noblesville.
The case will now be heard in Marion County.
Last May, Ella Whistler was shot seven times by a classmate at Noblesville West Middle School.
The lawsuit is against the 13-year old shooter’s parents and claims they failed to store and care for their handguns, ammunition and other weapons. The student admitted to the shooting and will be held in a juvenile detention center until he is 18.