Police: School counselor talks down teen armed with gun

ASHLAND CITY, TN -- A school counselor is being hailed as a hero after staying calm when confronted with an armed student and convincing him to give up the gun.

Molly Hudgens spoke with the 14-year-old Sycamore Middle School student who allegedly entered the building for about 45 minutes before the student gave her the gun.

"She was an amazingly brave person to be in there that long with this young man," said Cheatham County Sheriff Mike Breedlove at a press conference on Thursday. "She was able to diffuse the whole situation."

Deputies say the student entered the school on Wednesday morning and went to the counselor's office.

Hudgens and the student began talking. She asked him if he had a gun, and he allegedly showed her the gun in his waistband.

The counselor reportedly tried to text others about the student while continuing to talk with him. She eventually was able to talk the student into surrendering the gun, deputies say.

The sheriff said the student had a list of teachers and officers that he was going to shoot.

"He advised Ms. Hudgens he was going to kill some teachers and a police officer and not students. He came to her because he indicated she would be the only one to talk him out of it," Breedlove said.

The student was arrested by a school resource officer. No shots were fired and there was no struggle.

WSMV reports that a hearing was scheduled to be held prior to a joint press conference with Breedlove and Cheatham County Schools officials.

Hudgens has been teaching at Sycamore Middle since 1999, according to her bio on the Sycamore Middle School web page. She started as a language arts teacher and joined the counseling department in 2006. She has a Master's degree in school counseling.

Cheatham County School District posted a video of Hudgens reflecting on the day's events.