‘An incredible man’: Marietta mourns death of teacher shot in Atlanta

MARIETTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Students and colleagues of a Marietta Middle School teacher gunned down in Atlanta over the weekend are beginning the painful process of mourning his death.

“It’s tough,” said Principal Diona Brown. “It’s tough for our staff. It’s tough for our students.”

Jason Ogbomoh was 25 years old. He taught computer programming and coding.

“Mr. Ogbomoh, or ‘Mr. O,’ as he was affectionately known to the students, was just an incredible man,” Brown said.

At 3 a.m. Sunday, Atlanta police responded to 81 Peachtree Street, not far from Underground Atlanta, and found Ogbomoh with several gunshot wounds. He later died at Grady Memorial Hospital. Police believe the shooting was the result of a fight. No other details were immediately available.

“He was the type of teacher that every parent would want their child to have and that every student wanted in our building,” Brown said.

She said Ogbomoh would often give up his own lunch if he thought a student would otherwise go hungry. She said she’ll always remember his gift of bringing joy to others.

“Last year, he was injured and was in a boot,” she recalled. “He still showed up at the Sneaker Ball Dance for our students and was dancing and trying to dance-battle several of the kids in his boot because he wanted to be there for the kids.”

She said his students are processing the news as best they can.

“A lot of our students have been writing notes to him and to his family,” Brown said, “So, we’re going to collect those and share those with his family to make sure they know how much he was loved and how much he was admired by so many students here.”

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