Aaron Kampman's High School Coach Ed Thomas Shot at Iowa School

(Photo by David Greedy/Getty Images)

Sources told KWWL-TV that Aplington-Parkersburg head football coach Ed Thomas has died after being shot this morning.

Aaron Kampman's former high school football coach, Ed Thomas, was shot and killed in the weight room of the school around 8 a.m. Thomas had coached a handful of NFL players, including Aaron Kampman, Brad Meester, Jared DeVries and Casey Weigmann.

There have not been many details, but the police do have a suspect in custody. This tragedy comes a little after a year that a F5 tornado ripped through the community.

There were no other students or faculty hurt or wounded. Sources say there were up to 50 students in or around the weight room when the shooting had happened.

Ed Thomas had a career record of 292-84 in 37 seasons as head coach, 34 of them at Aplington-Parkersburg.

Thomas was active in the community and helped lead a rebuilding effort after a tornado ripped through the town. It also destroyed his home. Aaron Kampman also contributed and helped neighbors, family, and his grandfather who was injured.

In my opinion, that was a story that the NFL and media alike needed to cover much closer. Too much attention is given to the T.O.'s of the world and there's not enough coverage of what these players are giving back to the community.

Since the Columbine school shooting, it seems as if nothing has changed. Every year there are more school shootings and less is being done about it. The bottom line is that there must be metal detectors in place. It may not prevent it 100 percent, but it is better than an open door.

Schools are not a prison, and should not be flooded with security guards, security checkpoints, and lockdowns. However, the most basic metal detector at a school entrance would let it be known that sneaking a gun into school is not going to work.

Ed Thomas and Aaron Kampman came together and helped their community get through one of the worst tornado's in Iowa history. I'm sure the community will come together to help the Thomas family cope with their loss. It is a very sad story and should never have happened. For the Thomas family, you are in our prayers.

UPDATE:

Mark Becker, 24, is in custody and is a former student and player for Coach Thomas. Sources on the scene have reported Mark Becker had entered the weight room at 7:45 a.m. and first pointed a gun at a student before shooting Ed Thomas. Becker was also involved in a police chase last weekend in connection with a report of vandalism. Police had planned to press charges, but he was released without the department's knowledge according to the Cedar Falls police chief. A reason for the shooting is not yet known.

Aaron Kampman released the following statement:

"Coach Thomas was very special to me and many other young men from the Aplington-Parkersburg communities. His legacy for many will be associated with his tremendous success as a football coach. However, I believe his greatest legacy comes not in how many football games he won or lost but in the fact that he was a committed follower of Jesus Christ. He lived his life trying to exemplify this faith and convey those values to those under his influence. His faith in Christ pervaded everything he did and that is why in the midst of the heartache we all feel there is comfort in knowing he is with his Savior."

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