A fired Episcopal High School teacher returned Tuesday afternoon packing an AK-47 assault-style rifle in a guitar case and gunned down Head of School Dale Regan before killing himself, Jacksonville police said.The Rev. Kate Moorehead, the dean of St. John’s Cathedral and the Episcopal Diocese of Florida, called Regan a beloved and dedicated educator whose loss stunned those who knew of her love for the school where she first began teaching in 1978. Regan was 63.
“We ask you to please pray for us as a community,” Moorehead said. “We have full confidence that Dale Regan is already with God and in heaven with our lord and savior Jesus.”
Police identified the killer as former Spanish teacher Shane Schumerth, 28.
Undersheriff Dwain Senterfitt said Schumerth killed Regan in her office before committing suicide. He said Schumerth was fired Tuesday morning, but no details were available about his dismissal.
Schumerth previously taught history and Spanish at John E. Ford Elementary in Duval County Public Schools. He also coached Ford Elementary’s debate team in 2010 before resigning from the school system that June. He began working at Episcopal in August 2010.
Online state records contain no mention of any disciplinary action against Schumerth, and he had no known criminal record.
Schumerth’s father, an instructor at a private school in Indiana, declined to comment, a school spokesman said.
Episcopal student Lilly Sheppard said she knew the shooter, who’d been a substitute in her French class.
“He was shy and he sat by himself a lot at lunch,” said Sheppard, an eighth-grader. “He didn’t really seem to fit in with the other teachers.”
Slideshow: Shane Schumerth - Suspected gunman in Episcopal School of Jacksonville shooting
Maria Boyance, 16, said students knew Schumerth had been fired and had to be escorted out of class. She called him an “awkward man.”
Seventh-grader Brandon Steele said some students even joked he would come back and do something. Then they were terrified and crying.
“At first we didn’t know it was this serious, but a teacher made us stay in class and avoid the windows and not use our phones,” Steele said.
Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Melissa Bujeda said the shooting at 4455 Atlantic Blvd. occurred shortly before 1:30 p.m. By 2 p.m. the Sheriff’s Office sent out a message to the media to tell parents that the situation was under control and there were no outstanding suspects.
Police released few details about the shooting, including who owned the gun or when Schumerth got the weapon.
Anxious parents created a small traffic jam picking up their children.
Kevin Robbie, whose child is in the seventh grade, said, “I was stunned. I guess it can happen anywhere. There’s all kind of nuts in the world.”
Words of sympathy over her loss were offered by everyone from Gov. Rick Scott to local educators.
Jacksonville businessman Jim Winston, an Episcopal trustee emeritus, said Regan will be deeply missed.
“She was just extremely dedicated to that school, which she adored,” Winston said. “She was an absolute delight to so many students, including my daughter. This is just an absolute tragedy.”
My nephew goes to that school, but he thankfully wasn't in school yesterday when this happened. I didn't go to school there, but I did spend a lot of time swimming at Episcopal and knew a lot of other folks who went to school there.
