'That's how people like you get shot': Georgia teacher suspended for allegedly threatening student

The physics teacher was caught on camera making the alleged threat.

ByABC News
November 7, 2017, 6:45 PM
Rockdale Career Academy in Conyers, Georgia.
Rockdale Career Academy in Conyers, Georgia.
Google Maps

— -- A public school teacher in Georgia has been placed on administrative leave after allegedly threatening a student late last month, officials said.

A video taken from the classroom of the Rockdale Career Academy in Conyers shows the teacher telling a student not to "screw" with him, or he will "get in big-a-- trouble." It is not clear if the student he was allegedly speaking to can be seen in the video.

"Don't smile at me, man, OK? That's how people like you get shot," the teacher, who is white, told the student, who is black. "I got a bet. I bet by the time you're 21, somebody's gonna put a bullet right through your head. And it might be me -- the one that does it."

Students in the classroom are heard expressing shock at the teacher's statements.

The mother of the student that the teacher was allegedly speaking to posted the video to Facebook on Friday, saying that she was "outraged" that the incident occurred.

"You see these stories on the news never believing it will happen to your child," April Carr wrote on Facebook. "Well it happened to mine and we will get justice."

Carr told ABC Atlanta affiliate WSB-TV that the physics teacher made the comments after her son and other students laughed as he wrote an equation on the board.

The teacher then walked over to Carr's son and began his rant, Carr told ABC News, adding that there was "no back and forth" or "disrespectful" banter between her son and his teacher.

PHOTO: Georgia resident April Carr said that the teacher who allegedly threatened her son at the Rockdale Career Academy in Conyers should no longer be in the classroom.
Georgia resident April Carr said that the teacher who allegedly threatened her son at the Rockdale Career Academy in Conyers should no longer be in the classroom.

Carr said the teacher's comments were "outright racist."

"He's in a classroom of a majority African-American students, so for you to say 'you people,' it's an outright racist statement -- no covering it up," Carr said.

Carr said her son recently turned 17 and that she's had "plenty of conversations with him about how to conduct himself and how to act when he's out," which includes being "respectful at all times." He is in the gifted program, takes multiple AP classes and is on the wrestling and football team for the school, Carr said.

Carr said that with "all the shootings" going on in the country, she "can't afford" to take the teacher's comments lightly.

"I have to take it as seriously as it sounded," she said.

Carr said that she believes the teacher should be fired.

"This is not OK, you know, for our educators and the people who parents send our kids to school to learn from," Carr said.

An incident report from the Rockdale County Sheriff's office identified the teacher as Paul Hagen. The incident was reported to authorities by Carr on Friday after she received a phone call from the school the previous day informing her of the incident. Carr learned of the video after speaking to her son, according to the incident report.

The alleged incident happened more than a week before it was reported to the sheriff's office, the report states.

There is a Paul Hagan listed as the school's science department chair and electronics instructor at the school, according to the directory on the school website. He was placed on administrative leave as the matter is under investigation, Rockdale County Public Schools said in a statement.

ABC News could not immediately reach Hagan for comment.

ABC News' Erin Dooley, Will Gretsky, Rachel Katz and Steve Osunsami contributed to this report.