Jason Seaman, a seventh-grade science teacher in Indiana who was shot by and stopped a school shooter who entered his classroom Friday, said his actions were the "only acceptable actions" in that moment.
“I want to make it clear that my actions on that day, in my mind, were the only acceptable actions I could have done given the circumstances,” Seaman said at a press conference Monday, speaking publicly about the shooting for the first time.
Seaman also praised 13-year-old Ella Whistler, a student in his classroom at Noblesville West Middle School who was shot that day and remains in critical but stable condition.
“Her courage and strength at such a young age is nothing short of remarkable,” Seaman said. “We all should continue to keep her in our minds as she continues to recover.”
Students gathered around Seaman at a local baseball game Monday to thank him for his actions. He high-fived them over the chain-link fence.
A GoFundMe set up to help pay for Seaman's medical bills has raised more than $65,000. Seaman specially thanked the creator of the page, Jackson Ramey, at the press conference.
"I can't really fathom how someone I have not personally met could do such an act of kindness and how the Noblesville community has been so generous in their response to it," he said.
Seaman called himself "a person who isn't looking for attention" Monday. "I deeply care for my students and their well-being," he said. "That is why I did what I did that day."
Investigators said the student in Seaman's class had asked to be dismissed from class before returning with two guns and opening fire. He was quickly apprehended.
The attack in Noblesville, Indiana, followed a shooting at a high school in Santa Fe, Texas, a week ago that left 10 dead, and an attack in Parkland, Florida, several months ago that killed 17.