Moises Plascencia, the assistant principal at Kraemer Middle School in Placentia, California, reportedly committed suicide on school property early Monday.
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that I write you this afternoon. I am incredibly sorry to announce that our Assistant Principal Moises Plascencia took his own life earlier this morning on campus,” Principal Michael Young wrote in a statement released by the school. No students, staff members or witnesses were present, but Plascencia did commit suicide on school property in a “private staff area,” according to the statement.
“Words will never be able to express our true sorrow regarding this loss. While we may never make sense of nor understand why this occurred, please know how deeply Mr. Plascencia cared for your students, their education, and all of Kraemer Middle School,” the statement continued.
Plascencia reportedly committed suicide on the same day that the school had scheduled a suicide prevention awareness assembly, according to Fox 11 News. (RELATED: New Study Points To Real Problems In America Causing Suicide)
Kraemer Middle School suspended normal operations Monday but resumed with regularly scheduled classes and activities Tuesday, the school’s statement noted. Mental health professionals were assigned to be available to students, staff and any families impacted by the suicide, according to the statement.
Police responded to the scene around 9 a.m. Monday after Plascencia’s body was found in the bathroom with a fatal gunshot wound and a firearm nearby, NBC News reported. The report notes that officials believe the incident took place prior to the arrival of students and a majority of staff.
Jim Elsasser, superintendent of the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District, lamented that Plascencia was was a “father, husband, brother, and friend to so many in our school district community,” according to the Los Angeles Times.
Elsasser released a full statement sharing his devastation on the loss of Plascencia, in which he wrote, “As your Superintendent, I am struggling to find adequate words to convey the shock and heartbreak we are all feeling right now. Yet I know that we will find a way to come together as a community, care for one another, and get through this trauma together. Please keep the Plascencia family, Kraemer Middle School, and our entire district community in your thoughts and prayers.”