Former Smethport Teacher Commits Suicide
After Reportedly Making Threats Against District

UPDATE: The Facebook threats Swanson made were not actually against the school district. He had threatened to kill himself. But, I assume, because he had been fired from the school district, officials had what they said were "safety concerns." His last Facebook post was at about 3 a.m. ~~ Anne

A former teacher at Smethport Area Junior-Senior High School caused safety concerns within the school district, but those concerns were alleviated well before students arrived at the schools this morning.

Smethport Borough Police say they were contacted by Mercyhurst Police after the body of Chris Swanson was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on the Mercyhurst University campus early this morning. The Erie County Coroner says Swanson killed himself between 2 and 4 a.m.

Police say they did take precautionary measures, although they believed there was no cause for alarm in Smethport.

School superintendent Charles Leasure tells us they did decide to have a police presence at the schools this morning because they take all threats seriously, but the schools were never on lockdown.

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

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