Teacher accused of firing shot once told cops he had woman killed

The Georgia teacher who cops say barricaded himself in a classroom and fired a handgun through a window had once said that he had a woman killed, but it was believed he was "delusional."

Social studies teacher Jesse Randal Davidson sent students at Dalton High School into a panic and forced a lockdown and evacuation on Wednesday after firing the shot.

"Mr. Davidson did not give us much information about what his motives were or what may or may not have been the problem today," police spokesperson Bruce Frazier said.

Principal Steve Bartoo said Davidson was an "excellent teacher" and added that "as far as I know he was fit to be at work."

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However, cops say they encountered the teacher behaving oddly on two separate occasions in recent years.

Davidson had called cops in 2016 and said he that he had a woman killed, according to WDEF. However, cops did not find any evidence of foul play and believed this was not the case.

"Mr. Davidson did state that he was on several different medications for depression and had only just gotten out of the hospital today," cops said, according to the station.

He was also reported missing a year ago, according to WDEF. He was found walking on Waugh Street in Dalton, but he could not tell police what had happened to him.

Davidson is facing six charges, including aggravated assault involving a gun and terroristic threats and acts. Other charges include carrying a weapon in a school safety zone and reckless conduct.

The gunshot traveled across the street and into a hilltop neighborhood overlooking part of the city, where the bullet could have struck someone, Frazier said.

Davidson was recognized as the school's top teacher in 2012, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Classes were cancelled at the high school on Thursday. The students, who number at approximately 2,000, were being allowed back in to get their possessions. Classes were expected to resume on Friday.

With News Wire Services