Update, Revisions on Smethport Situation

A former teacher at Smethport Area Junior-Senior High posted on Facebook Thursday night and early Friday morning that he was going to kill himself, which led district officials to have “safety concerns” and call for a police presence at the schools.

Former physics teacher Christopher Swanson was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on the campus of Mercyhurst University at about 7:15 this morning. The Erie County coroner says he died sometime between 2 and 4 a.m. His last Facebook post was at about 3 a.m.

Swanson had been fired near the end of the last school year for allegedly having an inappropriate relationship with a student.

Police and school district officials say they took precautionary measures and had a police presence at the schools this morning, but believe there was no cause for alarm.

The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Comments

Anonymous said…
If there was no cause for alarm, why was the chief of police and two state cops and a mandatory staff meeting?
September 21, 2013 at 4:15 AM
Anne said…
Reviewing what they knew and deciding how to best handle the situation.
September 21, 2013 at 9:19 AM
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