Indiana girl shot at middle school upgraded from critical to stable condition, family says

A 13-year-old girl shot while in class at her Indiana middle school has been upgraded from critical to stable condition, her family said.

Ella Whistler was in science class at Noblesville West Middle School on May 25 when a classmate allegedly walked in with two handguns and opened fire, authorities said.

The teacher, Jason Seaman, immediately tackled the gunman, according to officials.

Both Ella and Seaman were shot and injured. Seaman, who was hailed by the school district as a hero, has already been released from the hospital.

Meanwhile, Ella remains in the hospital but is improving.

"Ella's status has been upgraded to stable condition," her family said in a statement Wednesday night. "From this point forward, the IU Health public relations team will handle all media inquiries. We appreciate you respecting our privacy and we will share updates as we sit fit."

A spokeswoman for the hospital confirmed that Ella is a patient but declined to comment further.

"I can't say enough of how proud of Ella I am," Seaman told reporters on Monday. "Her courage and strength at such a young age is nothing short of remarkable."

"We will spend the next days and weeks processing what happened and why. But first, we wanted to say she is doing well," Ella's parents said in an earlier statement on the day of the shooting, according to ABC affiliate RTV in Indianapolis.

"We’d like to thank everyone across the country who prayed for our family," they continued. "We’ve felt those prayers and appreciate each of them. We’d also like to thank the first responders, Noblesville police, Indiana State Police and the medical staff and surgeons."

In the wake of the shooting, Noblesville police officers joined the existing school resource officers at all schools in the district, the police department said.

Friday marks the last day of school.