Students at North Shore High are shocked and surprised a 17-year-old tried to take his own life.
The students who did not know their classmate was going to try and take his own life would be in a small minority.
We are not identifying the baseball player, but we will tell you he tweeted about committing suicide only hours before the attempt. His followers, 350 of them, had a chance to see posts like:
"Today is the day."
"Bye Guys."
"In this case, the social media actually helped the situation," self-esteem and literacy advocate Melissa Williams said.
The victim's tweets prompted one student to call school officials.
Despite their intervention, the victim was still able to get a gun in the backseat of a Harris County Precinct 3 patrol car and shoot himself.
"There are parents who have gone behind the scenes and made fake profiles," Williams said.
She said if parents at home are downright nosy about what's going on in their child's life, there's a chance scenes like this could be prevented at school. The self-esteem expert said privacy for children and teens in this age of social media should have its limits.
"The thing about social media that the kids aren't considering is they're putting their life out there," she said. "This is public information so if they're going to be that public and they're going to be that open, then I think parents have a right to see what their children are saying online too."
The victim may have also hinted why he tried to take his own life on Twitter.
"You say you can't live like this I'll make it easy for you after today," he tweeted to another student.
Houston psychologist Dr. Ed Reitman emphasized the importance of parental involvement. Reitman said parents have to be willing to pay attention and talk with their child. He has no reservations about digging into your child's life to keep them safe.
"We as parents can be responsible," he said. "We have to deal with our kids out of care, with concern without fear of rejection and we have to be able to say I will do whatever it is I have to do guard you and protect you, so I have no qualm about every parent putting a GPS on their kid's phone."
Tuesday, June 18 2013 11:01 PM EDT2013-06-19 03:01:57 GMT
Photo courtesy of @N42_21_W71_04)
Riders should anticipate some changes but "near normal" service on the Long Island Rail Road for the Wednesday morning rush.
Riders should anticipate some changes but "near normal" service on the Long Island Rail Road for the Wednesday morning rush. Crews have bee working to repair tracks and switches after Monday's derailment.
Tuesday, June 18 2013 9:50 PM EDT2013-06-19 01:50:52 GMT
FDNY photo via Twitter
Emergency responders rescued a worker who was trapped when a trench collapsed Tuesday evening at a Queens construction site that was supposed to be closed.
Emergency responders rescued a worker who was trapped when a trench collapsed Tuesday evening at a Queens construction site that was supposed to be closed.
Tuesday, June 18 2013 8:34 PM EDT2013-06-19 00:34:07 GMT
It's a sight that can trigger dread. The low-battery message appears on your cell phone when there's no charger around.
It's a sight that can trigger dread. The low-battery message appears on your cell phone when there's no charger around. Now New York City has teamed up with AT&T to install 25 solar powered charging stations over the summer.
Tuesday, June 18 2013 4:55 PM EDT2013-06-18 20:55:38 GMT
A man accused of fatally shooting a gay man walking with a companion in New York City's Greenwich Village pleaded not guilty.
A man accused of fatally shooting a gay man walking with a companion in New York City's Greenwich Village afterward claimed that he opened fire because the victim "thought he was tough in front of his bitch," prosecutors said in court papers Tuesday.
Tuesday, June 18 2013 3:32 PM EDT2013-06-18 19:32:12 GMT
NYC
Nearly 3 million New Yorkers' homes are now in evacuation zones that cover more than a third of the city's population, under new maps released Tuesday.
Nearly 3 million New Yorkers' homes are now in evacuation zones that cover more than a third of the city's population, under new maps released Tuesday.In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, officials said last month, the number of zones would double and encompass about 600,000 more residents.
Tuesday, June 18 2013 3:05 PM EDT2013-06-18 19:05:09 GMT
Police are looking for a man who stabbed another man in Times Square Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.The victim was stabbed in the chest, the NYPD and FDNY said.
Police are looking for a man who stabbed another man in Times Square Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.The victim was stabbed in the chest, the NYPD and FDNY said.
Tuesday, June 18 2013 12:20 PM EDT2013-06-18 16:20:04 GMT
The director of the National Security Agency said Tuesday the government's sweeping surveillance programs have foiled some 50 terrorist plots worldwide, including one directed at the New York Stock Exchange.
The director of the National Security Agency said Tuesday the government's sweeping surveillance programs have foiled some 50 terrorist plots worldwide, including one directed at the New York Stock Exchange.
