JAMS Father Shoots & Kills Himself in Front of John Adams Middle School

Saturday afternoon, the father of a John Adams Middle School student killed himself in front of the school. The father who was not identified, did not injure anyone else. School superintendent Ben Drati issued a statement of condolences, which is posted below.

Dear SMMUSD parents, staff and community members,

We are sadly reporting the passing of a John Adams Middle School (JAMS) parent today, who took his own life in front of the school this morning with a firearm.

We are devastated by this loss of a community member and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.

The safety of our students and staff is our top priority and we continue to work with local law enforcement officials and mental health professionals to address concerns our students and families are dealing with.

We have resources on our health services page: http://www.smmusd.org/health/depressionandsuicide.html and you may call our office for support anytime.

I want to reassure you that this was an isolated incident and that other than the deceased, no other person(s) were in harms way or injured.

We have security and safety protocols in place at all of our campuses when school is in session. We are also continuously working with Santa Monica and Malibu authorities in evaluating our safety protocols for improvement. You have heard from me in the past regarding the issue of safety. Please see previous safety messages on our website: http://www.smmusd.org/Superintendent.

Sincerely,

Dr. Ben Drati, Superintendent