A staff member at a middle school in Nevada was shot and killed while trying to protect children after a student arrived on campus Monday and started opening fire, police say.

The shooting occurred at Sparks Middle School in Sparks, Nev.

One male student injured in the shooting has gone through surgery, while the other is doing well, Washoe County School District Chief of Police Mike Mieras said during a news conference.

Math teacher Michael Landsberry was identified by his family as the staff member killed in the shooting. The suspected gunman was also dead, and authorities say no shots were fired by law enforcement. Washoe County Emergency Manager Aaron Kenneston told Reuters that the gunman died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

A Sparks police dispatcher said reports of the shooting -- which happened on the school's campus, but outside the school building itself -- started coming in at 7:16 a.m. local time.

Police said between 150 and 200 officers responded to the shooting.

Kyle Nucum, a 13-year-old student, told the Reno Gazette-Journal that he saw a classmate shoot a teacher.

“We were at the basketball court and we heard a pop, like a loud pop, and everybody was screaming and 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 the student fired a shot at the teacher and the teacher fell and everybody ran away," he said. “And we ran across the field to get somewhere safe and while we were running we heard about four or five more shots and we just got somewhere safe. This lady let us into her house.”

Authorities believe Landsberry was trying to protect students when he was killed.

“My estimation is that he is a hero,” said Reno Police Department Deputy Chief Tom Robinson.

Police said there is no apparent motive yet for the shooting and they believe the gunman acted alone.

The area is now secure, but Sparks Middle School will remain closed for the rest of the week.

Washoe County School District spokesman Charles Rahn told the Associated Press that the middle school and the adjacent Agnes Risley Elementary School were evacuated to Sparks High School. Rahn said the elementary school will stay closed Monday.

At the evacuation center, parents walked with their arms around their children, some of whom were in tears.

"We came flying down here to get our kids," said Mike Fiorica, whose nephew attends the school. "... It's really chaotic. You can imagine how parents are feeling. You don't know if your kid's OK."

Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval said in a statement that he was "deeply saddened to learn of the horrific shooting."

“My administration is receiving regular updates and the Nevada Highway Patrol is assisting at the scene," he added.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., offered his condolences to students, parents and staff who experienced "a traumatic morning."

"No words of condolence could possibly ease the pain, but I hope it is some small comfort that Nevada mourns with them. I stand by to be of any assistance if there is anything that can be done," Reid said in a statement.

The school, which enrolls about 700 students in 7th and 8th grades, has a strict uniform policy that forbids the colors red and blue in students' outfits, colors commonly associated with rival gangs.

Sparks, a city of roughly 90,000, lies just east of Reno.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/10/21/police-respond-to-reports-shooting-at-nevada-middle-school/

Seen this on my local news today. At 12 pm eastern time.
So sorry to hear about this unfortunate situation. I do think that the teacher is a hero. Also believe that school staff should be required
To concealed weapons training and carry while working.

The guy is most definitely a hero. He is a USMC veteran and a member of the Nevada Air National Guard.

Dirty Harry Reid is already pitching a ban on guns because of this incident. That POS is an evil, evil, evil person.

I think every school should have uniformed School Police officers. They have a few in that district but they bounce from school to school instead of being assigned to a individual school.

Ried needs to be KICKED out. He just wants to disarm every one

Yea he does. We had a great opportunity to do it too but they nominated a lunatic and the only person who couldn't beat him in an election. Idiots.

Unfortunately unless the Senate kicks him out(which wont happen) we can't vote him out until 2016.

I guarantee that when all is revealed the shooter will be the son of an illegal or himself an anchor baby. That's all that really goes to that school.

another Victim of that insane Policy of "Gunfree Zones"!

He can afford not to give a damn!
Doubt he will ever have to confront a Shooter empty-Handed!
That Bloodsucker!

I am so heartbroken and angry.

I am watching as we speak the funeral of the Hero teacher who saved multiple lives that day. He shielded a couple of students at first trying to talk down the shooter and when he realized that wasn't going to work took the fatal shots meant for the children in his care. This guy served honorably in the United States Marine Corps and when he retired from there he enlisted in the Nevada Air National Guard (Basically the United States Air Force Reserves) and served honorably and was still a member when he was killed. He served both in this country and overseas while in the Marines and the Guard including several tours in Iraq and Afganistan. He was also a loving dad. He took care of his wife and her two children from a previous marriage.

To add insult to injury the shooter was in fact an Anchor Baby, his parents are illegal. They are also not upstanding members of the community according to SEVERAL local law enforcement officials. He lived and goes to school in a heavy gang and drug area and he got the gun from home, meaning his parents had it. So they are here illegally and themselves criminals who have a gun and they raised a criminal, they should be so F'ing proud. If Obama, Reid and previous presidents would have dealt with the horrible Anchor Baby law and taken care of the illegal immigration situation this HERO and any others who are the victims of these illegal PREDATORS would still be here today.

The day of the shooting Obama and Reid couldn't wait to address the media about evil guns and guns are the problem blah, blah, blah. Why not focus on the real problem of this incident, ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION and ANCHOR BABIES. That is the real reason this HERO is dead and that is the Legislation they need to pass through.

The media also doesn't want to speak about the family of the shooter out of respect to them, F THEM! They are criminals who bred and cultivated a criminal monster.

RIP to a true HERO!

Meanwhile the monster predator that committed this disgusting acts parents who themselves are criminals have retained a very expensive top lawyer and legal team and a very expensive PR firm. I wonder how they paid for that? They didn't! La Raza or a group like them did!

They are already trying to smear the victims and said their monster predator kid was the victim because he was picked on. Face the facts, you raised a monster and it takes a monster to raise a monster.