Nevada Teacher Killed Trying To Protect Students From Shooter Is Being Hailed As A Hero

The teacher who was killed Monday morning trying to protect middle school students from a shooter on the grounds has been identified as Michael Landsberry, according to NBC.

Two people - the teacher and the shooter - died at Sparks Middle School near Reno, Nev. Two others, both minors, were also injured.

Witnesses told the Reno Gazette-Journal that a boy wearing a Sparks Middle School uniform opened fire outside the school Monday morning. Police have not confirmed how the shooter died, but multiple media reports say he killed himself. He was a student at the school.

A witness told the Gazette-Journal that a teacher told the shooter to put the gun down before he was shot.

The student said: "We were at school, we were by the basketball court and we heard a pop, like a loud pop, and everybody was screaming. And then the teacher came to investigate. I thought it was a firecracker at first, but the student was pointing a gun at the teacher after the teacher told him to put it down. And then the student fired a shot at the teacher and the teacher fell and everybody ran away. ... While we were running, we heard about four or five more shots."

Landsberry was a beloved teacher at the middle school. Students and others are mourning him on social media:

It was a pleasure to have been given the opportunity to have met you and have had you as a coach.Thank you for that experience Mr.Landsberry

- Michelle Cardenas (@mitchiemich1) October 21, 2013

Once a hero, always a hero♥ god bless you Mr. Landsberry you have tons of people that will miss you ♥♥♥ pic.twitter.com/Gon2J2jAoG

- Lizmariee (@lizzy_boo23) October 21, 2013

If mr.landsberry hadn't been there at the time of the shooting, one of us could have been shot.

- Alex ? (@aleexbabe_) October 21, 2013

He taught math, according to the website he set up for his students.

Landsberry posted this message on the site: "Just like you I have good days and bad days. What may bother me one day may not the next. A very good skill to learn is reading people and their moods. We will learn a lot from each other this year and what bothers us the most. ... One of my goals is to earn your respect while you earn mine."

Landsberry was also in the Nevada Army National Guard, the Gazette-Journal reports.

His sister-in-law told the newspaper: "To hear he was trying to protect those kids doesn't surprise me at all. He could have ducked and hid, but he didn't. That's not who he is."