Anniston, AL – On Thursday September 21, 2023 at approximately 7:50 am, the Saks High School principal was walking the campus grounds and observed smoke coming from the gym area. He proceeded to the area and entered the gym to see broken glass, smoke, and a long term teacher standing in the gym with no shirt and holding a firearm. The teacher, later identified as Lagregory Thomas, 38, of Anniston was acting oddly and appeared to be in an altered mental state. The principal approached the teacher and was able to get him to place the gun down away from him.
Calhoun County Sheriff, Matthew Wade, advised that School Resource Officer John Gordon was notified immediately and took Thomas into custody just outside the gym. It was also noted that the school security measures were all activated and the students were not in danger. There were no students inside the gym at the time of the event.
It has been determined that Thomas had started the fires, but subsequently put them out himself which caused the heavy smoke. Thomas did not point his firearm at anyone during the event. Sheriff Wade stated, “We are not sure what triggered this altered mental state, but we are using all of our investigative tools to find out what happened to lead up to this. Mental health is very important so when there is an event like this it makes me proud that everyone was able to take the correct actions and have this end peacefully.” Sheriff Wade advised that multiple search warrants were going to be executed to secure more evidence of what led to this serious offense.
The Anniston Fire Department was dispatched to the school to make sure the fires were fully extinguished and to help clear the smoke from the building.
Thomas is currently in custody with the Sheriff’s Office but has not been booked in at the time of this article. Sheriff Wade advised that he will be, at a minimum, facing Arson 2nd. Other charges may come from the current ongoing investigation.
The Calhoun County Superintendent has issued the following press release via their Facebook page:
“A message from the Superintendent:
The Calhoun County Schools are committed to ensuring the safety and security of our campus community throughout our system. We take all concerns related to campus security seriously, and we are addressing a recent incident involving reports of a staff member possessing a weapon on our campus.On Thursday, September 21st, at approximately 7:50 a.m. I received a report from the administration at Saks High School regarding a possible violation of our campus weapons policy. Campus security and local law enforcement were immediately contacted to investigate the matter. The safety and well-being of our students, faculty, staff, and visitors are our top priorities.We want to emphasize the following points:1. Safety Measures: At no point during this incident was there an imminent threat to the safety of our campus community. Security measures were promptly put in place to address the situation.2. Confidential Investigation: We are conducting a thorough and confidential investigation into the matter, following our established procedures and in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.3. Staff Member Cooperation: The staff member in question has been informed of the allegations and is cooperating fully with the investigation. We respect their right to privacy throughout this process.4. Support Services: We have provided support services to any individuals who may have been affected by this incident and are offering resources for counseling and assistance if needed.
We understand the concerns this incident may raise and want to assure our Saks High School community that we are committed to a thorough and fair investigation. We will provide updates as appropriate while respecting the privacy and rights of all involved parties. We greatly appreciate the work of our Saks High School administration, our Saks High School SRO, Director of Safety Randy Reaves, Anniston Fire Department, and the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department.”
