Posted on 06/24/2009 8:11:17 AM PDT by Hawk720
Aplington-Parkersburg High School football coach Ed Thomas was shot multiple times this morning at the school’s weight room and died a short time later at a hospital, officials have confirmed.
Thomas was shot at point blank range, including once in the head, according to the school's business manager Pat Gosch. No one else was injured in the incident.
The family of Ed Thomas released a statement through Covenenant Medical Center in Waterloo:
"The family of Ed Thomas would like the media to know that Ed passed away shortly after arriving at Covenant Medical Center," the statement read.
Sports secretary Sue Muller said Thomas was supervising the early-morning weightlifting in Parkersburg when the shooting happened around 8 a.m. About 50 students were present at the time.
Thomas was life-flighted to Covenant Medical Center in Waterloo, Muller said.
An adult male believed to be the gunman was arrested after the incident was taken to the Butler County Jail in Allison. When asked if the man was a parent of a student, Butler County spokeswoman Holly Fokkena said, "not that I'm aware of, no."
"We do want to articulate, because I'm sure there are a lot of concerned parents, that no students were hurt or injured in this incident," said Jessica Lown, spokeswoman for the Iowa Department of Public Safety.
Counselors are on scene for students, including several who witnessed the shooting.
Thomas has coached football for 37 years and has a career record of 292-84. He has led the Falcons to 19 state playoff appearances and two state titles, in 1993 and 2001.
(Excerpt) Read more at gazetteonline.com ...
I wonder what the perp’s motive was?
After passing through Parkersburg last week and seeing the reformation after the devastating F-5 tornado which hit the higher regions (which was followed by major flooding in the lower part) my heart and prayers go to these people.
From espn: Aplington-Parkersburg is the alma mater of four current NFL players — Casey Wiegmann of the Kansas City Chiefs, Jared DeVries of the Detroit Lions, Brad Meester of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Aaron Kampman of the Green Bay Packers. All played for Thomas.
In other stories, they listed some additional data points
Thomas is one of the most well-known high school football coaches in Iowa. He was honored as the NFL High School Coach of the Year in 2005, and four of his former players are in the NFL: Green Bay’s Aaron Kampman, Jacksonville’s Brad Meester, Detroit’s Jared DeVries and Denver’s Casey Wiegmann
Prayers for both the family and the students who witnessed the killing.
ESPN did a fantastic bit on AP football a few years ago. As you mentioned, several players from this school have played at Iowa, then on to the NFL.
the skit showed a 4th grade classroom with a kid (a girl) writing on the board, obviously being punished. The phrase ‘I will not run a 6-yard hook on 3rd and 8’ was written all the way across the chalkboard...
The coach/school was amazingly successful.
Prayers for the family.
Another shooting in a “gun free zone”.
I grew up 8 miles from Parkersbury and Coach Thomas was the coach at the time. He was a great presence even if he was our main competitor. The town went through the horrible tornado last year and now this, very devastating.
There goes her (ahem) self-esteem, huh?
I read in a Guideposts (or maybe Reader’s Digest?) about how some town was devastated by a tornado, including the school. The football team and Saturday night games were such a centerpiece of the town that instinctivly the folks all gathered at the field to come together. And then organize the clean-up. The coach was at the center of much of that.
Yes - this is the coach I read about, Guideposts, 2008:
“Ed Thomas, who has coached Aplington-Parkersburg to two state football titles and was named NFL National High School Coach of the Year in 2005, will speak on Thursday, at 7:30 p.m. in the Chief Mahaska Room of William Penn University.
He will discuss how Parkersburg has responded to the adversity of the May 2008 tornado. The tornado destroyed over 200 houses, including that of Thomas, numerous businesses, City Hall and Aplington-Parkersburg High School.”
Fox News web site says “OHIO” Football killed today. Good job, Fox News. Your East-Coast Country Club Republican establishmentism is showing throught for us folks in fly-over country of Iowa.
Police: Suspect was supposed to be taken to mental ward
PARKERSBURG (AP) — Police say a 24-year-old man charged with murdering a prominent Iowa high school football coach was supposed to be taken to taken to a hospital psychiatric ward after taking a baseball bat to a Cedar Rapids home Saturday night and leading police on a car chase.
Cedar Falls Police Chief Jeff Olson says Butler County Sheriff’s deputies were supposed to take Mark Becker to a hospital psychiatric unit after the Saturday night incident.
Olson says Becker was released at some point but that his department wasn’t notified.
It wasn’t immediately clear if the deputies took Becker to the hospital. The Sheriff’s Office declined to comment on the matter.
Becker is charged with first-degree murder in this morning’s slaying of Aplington-Parkersburg High School football coach Ed Thomas. Authorities say Becker, a former player, walked into the high school weight room and unloaded several shots into Thomas in front of some current players.
Becker was charged Monday with eluding police pursuit.
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