A shooting in Seattle Pacific University, an evangelical Christian school, on Thursday left one dead and three wounded. Hours after the shooting, Paul McDonagh, Seattle assistant police chief, stated in a news conference that a 26-year-old white male who was not a student was already in custody.
The gunman, armed with a shotgun, was subdued by a student guard, John Meis, at the university's Otto Miller Hall while reloading. Captain Chris Fowler of Seattle police stated, "At that point the shooter began to reload and a student that is the building monitor inside of the hall confronted the shooter. He was able to subdue the individual before other students jumped on top."
According to Captain Fowler's statements, the first calls regarding the university shooting came in at 3:23 p.m. Seattle time and Seattle police were immediately on the site four minutes later. The campus was placed on lockdown for 90 minutes. Seattle SWAT continued to clear the campus buildings for more than an hour after the suspect was taken in custody.
The injured were taken to Harborview Medical Center and a man in his 20s was pronounced dead 90 minutes after the 3:30 p.m. PT shooting. A 20-year-old woman was critically injured and had to undergo surgery that very evening. Two more men in their 20s were discharged with satisfactory condition, one with a gunshot wound, while the other man's injuries were not specified.
Jordan Heff, a student at the university, he first thought that the gunshots were part of a science experiment. "I was in physics and people heard a loud bang. We thought it was a science experiment." He added, "We heard crying and yelling outside our door. We walked out and there were blood stains all over the carpet."
Seattle Pacific University president, Daniel Martin, said, "We are a community that relies on Jesus Christ for strength, and we'll need that this time." He cancelled all night classes and scheduled an evening church service in the campus.
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray said, "The epidemic of gun violence is haunting this nation." He added, "Today should have been a day of celebration at the end of the school year. Instead it's a day of tragedy and loss. This is a tragic moment for Seattle and a tragic moment for America, once again."
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
