Disgruntled employee fired, returns with weapon
Gilmer County narrowly avoided being added to the list of places where a workplace shooting occurred.
It would have happened right next door to a school.
“I absolutely commend the Board of Education employees at the garage for their quick action. No doubt, it saved lives,” Gilmer County Sheriff Stacy Nicholson said. “If they had not reacted in the way they did, it could have been a very different scenario.”
Mary E. Newberry, 59, worked for Gilmer County Schools as a bus driver for many years. She was terminated by Gilmer County Schools Transportation Director of Operations Bob Sosebee Thursday, Feb. 27, according to Gilmer County Schools Superintendent Dr. Shanna Downs.
During the meeting at the schools transportation facility next to Clear Creek Middle School, Newberry held her purse on her lap with her hand in the bag, Downs said.
Newberry went out to her car then returned to the building. By this time Transportation Operations Manager Steve Pope had returned to the building.
Sosebee notified Pope about Newberry being in the building. Pope met her at the door to his office, Downs said.
“She was looking for an individual when she had a hand in her bag,” Nicholson said.
In the video, Downs said you can see Newberry’s purse hanging across her body. Pope asked Newberry to remove her hand from her bag.
Newberry removed a pistol from her bag and aimed it at close range at Pope’s stomach, Downs said.
“[Pope] immediately grabbed her hand and the gun,” Nicholson said.
On surveillance video, Pope and Newberry can be seen spinning out into the hallway. Pope had his hand on her hand wrestling for control of the weapon as Newberry goes down on her back. Newberry had her finger on the trigger, Downs said.
Two other employees rushed toward the scuffle unaware there was a gun involved. One of the men is seen stomping down on the two hands fighting for the weapon.
Pope was able to use his other hand to remove Newberry’s finger from the trigger and take the gun away from her.
In the end, as many as four people helped detain Newberry.
“She later admitted she had come to kill Steve and kill herself,” Downs said.
Sosebee was able to retrieve the gun.
“When deputies arrived, she had been disarmed and was being restrained,” Nicholson said.
Another employee called 911. A school resource officer located at Clear Creek Middle School was able to lock down the school while heading to her vehicle to respond.
“This incident is a shining example of why we have deputies at all of the schools,” Nicholson said.
Downs agreed about the school resource officer and the new security system installed at all of the schools.
“That really paid off,” Downs said. “I am very pleased with some of the things our board has emphasized which were able to keep our students safe.”
Downs said a change will be made. Terminations will now be done at the central office with an SRO present.
“I am really proud of our transportation staff and the actions they took that averted a potential tragedy,” Downs said.
In the end, the school was only locked down for five minutes, she said.
Downs and Nicholson both said the cooperation between the board of education, board of commissioners and the sheriff’s office putting safety measures into place has paid off.
Newberry is being held without bond and charged with criminal attempt to commit felony, loitering at or disrupting school, simple battery, carrying a weapon in school safety zone, pointing or aiming a gun or pistol at another, aggravated assault, simple battery, possession of firearm during commission or attempt to commit offense.