Deputy Phillips, Sgt. Harper hailed as heroes in shooting

L-R: Deputy Brian Phillips of Alachua County Sheriff’s Office and Sergeant Chuck Harper of the High Springs Police Department were the first responders to the shooting incident at the High Springs Community School on May 18.  Back:  Principal Jeff Means looks on as Phillips and Harper were honored in a ceremony at the school Wednesday.

Exactly three weeks after gunfire was reportedly exchanged on the campus of High Springs Community School (HSCS), parents, students and the community as a whole joined together Wednesday to honor and recognize the law enforcement officers who responded to the scene.

Called “A Celebration of Success,” the gathering drew a wide array of parents, residents and officials who packed the school’s cafeteria Wednesday afternoon.  Alachua County Superintendent of Schools Dan Boyd, High Springs Police Chief James Troiano, Alachua County Sheriff Sadie Darnell, High Springs Mayor Larry Travis and over a dozen law enforcement officers were among those attending.

HSCS Principal Jeff Means said he was proud of the cooperation and coordination of the school staff, students and parents and law enforcement that day.

“I look at school resource officers as an insurance policy.  Two weeks ago, we cashed in,” Means said.

He also recognized and thanked school staffers who ensured the safety of students and implemented a lockdown during the incident.

Deputy Brian Phillips of Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) and Sergeant Chuck Harper of the High Springs Police Department (HSPD) were the first responders to the incident on May 18.  Phillips, the school’s resource officer, had reportedly escorted 63-year-old Robert Nodine off campus when the man was somehow able to arm himself with a gun.  As the confrontation with Nodine escalated, Harper went to the school to assist Phillips and gunshots were fired moments later, police say.

On behalf of his fellow schoolmates, Daniel Drageset thanked the two officers for their performance that day.

“We were all praying as hard as we could,” he said as he recounted the events.

Drageset was one of about 170 students still on campus for afterschool activities that day.  Most of the school’s children had already been released because of an abbreviated Wednesday schedule.

Longtime teacher Joy Mudry said despite the serious and dangerous nature of the altercation, much good has come from the events of May 18, including a rallying of the community in support of the school and law enforcement.

In alluding to the collective response of the community, Superintendent Boyd said, “I cannot tell you how proud I am of this community school, one of the best schools within Alachua County…We are all proud of High Springs.”

Darnell lauded the work of Phillips, Harper, the school staff and the numerous other deputies who responded to secure the school May 18.

“This was about predicting the unexpected…The good guys walked away that day,” Darnell said.

Troiano called the two men heroes.

HSPD Sgt. Harper gestured toward a table of ACSO deputies and said, “This is what I saw that day and I was never so happy.

“The sheriff’s office is the best.”

Reflecting on the incident, Deputy Phillips said, “[Harper] saved my butt one hundred and ten percent.

“Call him a knight in shining armor, a savior, whatever you want to call him.”

Parents and local businesses raised some $2,100 to put on Wednesday’s celebration.  Both Deputy Phillips and Sgt. Harper were given a box of gifts donated by local businesses and stacks of handwritten cards from the school’s students.