Since the tragedy at Sandy Hook that occurred ten months ago, there have been a total of sixteen school shootings throughout the United States. The most recent happened last week at a middle school in Sparks, Nevada, leaving one teacher dead and two children wounded.

What started out as a normal Monday morning at Sparks Middle School quickly turned into a horrific event when 12-year-old Jose Reyes opened fire on the school with a semi-automatic handgun. According to police, the first shots were fired at 7:16 a.m., just before classes began. Within three minutes, Reyes shot Mike Landsberry, a popular math teacher, wounded two of his peers, and committed suicide. The wounded boys are now in stable condition, but unfortunately the same cannot be said for Mike Landsberry, who was killed in this tragedy.

Mike Landsberry was a well-liked teacher who had served in both the Marines and Afghanistan with the Nevada Air National Guard. Witnesses say that Landsberry was shot while protecting students and urging Reyes to put the gun down.

“He loved teaching. He loved the kids. He loved coaching them…He was just a good all-around individual,” said Reggie Landsberry of his brother.

Many were shocked to learn that the gunman had been Jose Reyes. He was generally seen as a nice kid, known for his kindness and generosity. He would smile at other students when they were having a bad day and did whatever he could to cheer them up.

Many think this incident was a result of bullying. Reyes would occasionally cry, saying that people were calling him names. According to CNN News, Sparks Middle School student Omar Lopez reported that Reyes said, “You guys ruined my life, so I’m going to ruin yours.” Reyes has purportedly had issues with bullies in the past.

Due to the rising number of school shootings this year, many schools have increased security drastically. Will that be enough to keep students safe?

This occurrence serves to remind us that we must find lasting solutions to protect children from violence and prevent these tragedies from happening in the future.