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Faculty and students at Hermitage Springs Elementary School in Clay County are mourning the loss of 11-year-old Harley Evans.
Evans was fatally shot at her home Monday by 29-year-old Jacob Snyder while her father, Justin Evans, and her father’s girlfriend suffered injuries.
Hermitage Springs Principal John Denton said he was shocked when he was informed about the shooting.
“My bus driver called me just after he drove away from the situation to safety,” Denton said. “I had to line up another bus to go pick up students who were on the bus. I had to get to school to let people know what we were going to do here at school [and] what we were going to do once people arrived. Naturally my first reaction was shock but then I had to jump into business mode and take care of the things that needed to be done.”
Denton said the school is providing counseling services to students who may need comforting in the aftermath of Monday’s shooting.
“We’ve tried to make the atmosphere as comfortable and nurturing to our students as possible,” Denton said. “We have let all faculty, students, and staff know that if a student has the need to speak with a counselor that they can speak with them at anytime or as soon as we can get to them. We have had students who’ve taken advantage of the counseling. We’ve just tried to reassure to the students that we care for them here and they’re safe here at school.”
Denton said the school plans to host an event honoring Evans once her funeral arrangements are made. In the meantime, students at Hermitage Springs are honoring their classmate in their own ways.
“That’s one of the things that we have planned at this time,” Denton said. “The students here, they have asked to do certain little things here at school to remember their classmate and they have been granted permission to do those things. So with the remembrance, some of the classmates are doing it themselves.”
Denton said the school will continue to offer support to the students at Hermitage Springs moving forward if the need is still present.
“That’s going to be our daily job. That’s not going to stop,” Denton said. “So we’re going to try to show these kids that everyday that they’re always welcome here. We’re going to do our best to help them to achieve and to help what we’ve always wanted them to do, to learn in a safe environment. We’re going to try and continue that and I think with the staff and the community, I think we’ll see that happen.”
The Harvest Fellowship Church of God in Red Boiling Springs started a GoFundMe campaign to help raise money towards funeral and medical expenses. Evans’ younger sister was uninjured in the shooting after running onto the school bus driven by David Williams with her father’s girlfriend.
Snyder was arraigned in court Wednesday and formally charged with one count of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder. District Attorney Bryant Dunaway said Justin Evans and his girlfriend remain at the Vanderbilt Medical Center receiving treatment.
