Police: Coweta Student Dead Of Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound

Two Coweta Public Schools were on lockdown Monday morning after a freshman student committed suicide.

Superintendent Jeff Holmes confirms a ninth grader committed suicide in a bathroom in the Intermediate High School.

Police got a call at 8:35 a.m. that they were needed at the ninth-grade center, according to Lieutenant Donnie Krumsiek of the Coweta Police Department. Officers were on scene in seconds, he said.

A 15-year-old male died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Krumsiek said in a 2 p.m. news conference. Police are not releasing the boy's name.

2/4/2013 Related Story: Coweta Community Reacts To Freshman Student's Suicide

"The Coweta Police Department notified the next of kin, and at this time we are still conducting an investigation," he said.

The lieutenant praised the faculty of the school for its near "flawless" handling of the incident.

"We have prepared and planned and trained for incidents like this, and unfortunately a life was lost, but it could have been a lot worse," Krumsiek said.

All ninth grade students were sent to the high school gym where parents could pick them up. Classes for all other Coweta grades continued.

"If it wasn't safe for the students to be in school, the superintendent and school board would have shut the schools down," Krumsiek said Monday morning.

The superintendent said that all classes including ninth grade will resume Tuesday, and counseling will be available to students.

Krumsiek said the school did a "tremendous" job of ensuring student safety with the lockdown of both the high school and intermediate high school.

2/4/2013 Related Story: Coweta School Prepares To Help Kids Deal With Suicide Of Student

"We're going to do everything in our power to protect out students. Period," he told the media Monday afternoon.

"We're not putting any cause on this," the superintendent said, when asked if bullying or family problems could have contributed to the suicide.

"I can tell you that according to his principal and counselors, he was a very fine young man," Holmes said.

Police will continue to investigate the boy's suicide with the goal of bringing closure to the family, Krumsiek said.

Coweta Public Schools sent out a phone alert Monday morning with the following message:

"This is Jeff Holmes, Superintendent of Coweta Schools. I regret to inform you that we have a tragic incident at our intermediate high school today.

All 9th grade students have been moved to the high school gymnasium where they will be able to checked out from the northwest lobby by a parent at this time. All other schools will remain in session throughout today.

All bus routes will run at the normal time at the end of the day for students including any 9th grade students who have not been checked out from the high school gymnasium. We will have press conferences soon to release more information."