PORTSMOUTH, Ohio – A fifth-grade teacher was shot and stabbed in her classroom by her husband, as her students watched. Later, the man was found dead in his home after a standoff with police Feb. 7.
Shortly after 9 a.m., William Michael Layne, 56, entered Notre Dame Elementary School, where he attacked his wife, Christi Layne, 53, in front of 17 students. One student said she hid in a coatroom when the assailant came into the classroom.
Parents began arriving at the school around 10:30 a.m. to take their children home, according to Kathy Hall, the office manager at the church across the street from the school.
The elementary school, along with another nearby Catholic school, was locked down. Vice Chancellor of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus Deacon Tom Berg said the diocese was sending a crisis team to the campus.
Public schools in the area were also locked down.
The victim was airlifted to Southern Ohio Medical Center, and then Cabell Huntington Hospital in Huntington, W.V. She is listed in critical condition.
Notre Dame Elementary School has approximately 160 students from preschool to sixth grade. There are 15 teachers employed at the institution.
