Ohio Shooting Hero: I Wish I'd Done More

Frank Hall hailed by Ohio community as hero who likely saved lives
By Polly Davis Doig,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 29, 2012 7:05 AM CST
Ohio Shooting Hero: I Wish I'd Done More
WEWS reporter Jenn Strathman interviews Frank Hall, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2012, in Chardon, Ohio. Hall has been hailed as a hero by students who say he chased the gunman out of the cafeteria.   (AP Photo/WEWS TV, Gary Abrahamsen)

When gunshots rang out Monday morning in Chardon High School's cafeteria, everyone hit the deck—except Frank Hall, a massive 6-foot-2, 300-pound assistant football coach who instead yelled, "Hey!" and charged the shooter. "He did what he usually does," one student tells Reuters, "he breaks up fights." In this case, though, the 38-year-old broke up the hail of gunfire—as Hall gave chase, the gunman stopped shooting and fled the building. Still, Hall tells WEWS-TV in a reluctant interview, "I just want to say I'm sorry to the families, to the victims. I wish I could have done more."

While Hall is pretty dismissive of his actions—"He thinks anyone would have done the same thing," says his mom—those who know him say the heroics are totally in line with his character and love for kids. "As soon as I heard it was a football coach at Chardon, I knew it was Frank," says a rival football coach. "He's going to do whatever he has to protect his kids." And Hall's actions didn't go unnoticed among those same kids: "It really has changed everything, how I look at teachers," says one 18-year-old girl. "They were so heroic and there for us. They are family to me. You see what they did for us." Click for more on the tragedy. (More Chardon High School stories.)

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