Police said that Angela McQueen (pictured) tackled a student-gunman on Wednesday
Authorities on Thursday reveled the identity of a courageous teacher who stopped a student-gunman after he opened fire inside his Illinois high school.
Angela McQueen is being hailed as hero after tackling the shooter on Wednesday morning, helping avert a potentially catastrophic incident.
Police said that a male student at Mattoon High School opened fire at about 11.30am, shooting and lightly wounding one student. He also wounded another student by shooting them twice before being subdued by McQueen.
‘If that teacher had not responded as quickly as they had, I think the situation would’ve been a lot different,’ said Mattoon police chief Jeff Branson.
Both students survived the incident. The names and ages of the suspect and the victims have not yet been released.
McQueen is being hailed as hero after subduing the shooter on Wednesday morning, helping avert a potentially catastrophic incident
Two students were shot and wounded in the incident on Wednesday morning, with each surviving
The first student wounded in the incident was treated at the hospital and later released. The second student is still being treated for his injuries and is in stable condition.
By the time police were able to reach the high school the shooter was already restrained and a school resource officer was already on site.
One student said that following the incident, McQueen continued to check on pupils at the school.
‘She was walking around and making sure everything was OK. And I went up and gave her a hug and thanked her because she could have– that could have been a lot worse and she made it to where it wasn’t,’ student Anna Morton said.
Immediately following the shooting students were evacuated and eventually bused to a nearby school to be picked up.
School officials said following the incident that they put their buildings on a soft lockdown as a precaution.
A male student, whose identity remains unknown, at Mattoon High School opened fire at about 11.30am
The incident is the fifth shooting to strike a central Illinois high school in just the past four weeks
‘We are saddened that this event has happened and we will provide counseling to students in need,’ the Mattoon Community Unit School District 2 said in a statement.
‘We appreciate the quick response of school staff and first responders. Most importantly, we offer our thoughts and prayers to the injured student and all who are affected by this tragedy.’
Mattoon is about 180 miles (290 kilometers) south of Chicago.
According to CBS News, the incident is the fifth shooting to strike a central Illinois high school in just the past four weeks.