Krista Gneiting, a middle school math teacher, jumped to attention when she heard gunshots blast through the school hall.

Up until then the day had been a regular one for Rigby Middle School students – but all of that changed instantly.

Krista had been preparing her students for their final exams when a sixth-grader pulled a handgun from her backpack and began firing shots just before 9 am.

When Krista glanced outside into the hall, she saw the school janitor lying on the floor.

As she closed the classroom door, another two shots rang in the air.

In an interview with ABC News, she recalled:

“I just told my students, ‘We are going to leave. We’re going to run to the high school. You’re going to run hard. You’re not going to look back, and now is the time to get up and go.'”

As the students were fleeing the school, Krista stopped to attend to one of the victims in the hallway when she noticed a small girl holding a gun.

“Are you the shooter?” she asked the child.

“It was a little girl and my brain couldn’t quite grasp that,” Krista later told ABC News. “I just knew that when I saw the gun, I had to get the gun.”

In an act that has since gained made Krista a hero, the math teacher slowly approached the little girl, wrapping her hand in the child’s and removing the gun. Afterward, in an act of potent love, the teacher wrapped the little girl in her arms and gave her a big hug.

“She didn’t give it [the gun] to me, but she didn’t fight,” Krista recalled.

“And then after I got the gun, I just pulled her into a hug because I thought this little girl has a mom somewhere that doesn’t realize she’s having a breakdown and she’s hurting people.”

When police arrived on the scene, Krista continued calmly supporting the student.

She explained that police would have to place her in handcuffs.

The Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has stated that the student is in custody and has been charged.

As information emerged regarding the shooting, it was learned that the janitor Jim Wilson – a hero in his own right- had been injured getting between the shooter and two other students.

A GoFundMe was later started to help Wilson pay for his medical expenses. At the time of this writing, over $27,000 has been donated.

Krista also received praise for the caring way in which she defused (what could have been) a lethal situation.

In a time when most people would have reacted based on fear, Krista flipped the switch and acted on love – potentially saving many lives. In a Facebook comment, Krista wrote:

“My heart is touched by all the incredible outpouring of love I’ve received. Thank you […] I love my students so much! It is why I teach!”

Krista also requested that the public try their best to forgive the little girl.

“She is just barely starting in life and she just needs some help,” Krista told ABC News.

“Everybody makes mistakes. I think we need to make sure we get her help and get her back to where she loves herself so that she can function in society.”

Hear the incredible story below.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Source: YouTube – Good Morning America, PEOPLE, ABC News, The Idaho State Journal,