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Seattle shooting: One dead and three injured after gunman goes on rampage at Pacific University Seattle Pacific University shooting: One dead and three injured after gunman goes on rampage on campus
(about 1 hour later)
A lone gunman armed with a shotgun and knife opened fire in a building at a small Seattle university, killing one person before a student subdued him with pepper spray as he tried to reload, police said. A lone gunman armed with a shotgun and knife opened fire in a building at a small Seattle university, killing one person and injuring three others before being disarmed by a student, police said.
A student building monitor at Seattle Pacific University disarmed the gunman after he entered the foyer at Otto Miller Hall, and several other students jumped on top of him and pinned him down until police officers arrived, police said. Police said a student building monitor at Seattle Pacific University overpowered the gunman after he entered the foyer at Otto Miller Hall. When he began reloading his gun, the student subdued him with pepper spray, Capt. Chris Fowler of the Seattle Police Department said.
A 19-year-old man died at Harborview Medical Center. Three other people were hospitalized. A critically injured 20-year-old woman was taken to surgery, hospital spokeswoman Susan Gregg said. A 24-year-old man and a 22-year-old man were in satisfactory condition. Gregg says one of those two men was not shot. Several other students then jumped on top of the gunman and pinned him down until police officers arrived. Police said the monitor's actions and the actions of others prevented the tragedy from becoming even more serious.
None of the victims in the Thursday shooting was immediately identified. SPU President Daniel Martin told the Seattle Times the students who stopped the gunman "acted without regard to their own safety on behalf of others".
At a news conference on Thursday night, Assistant Police Chief Paul McDonagh said the suspect in custody was a white male “approximately 26 years of age” who was not a student at the school. McDonagh said his name would not be released until he's booked into jail for investigation of murder. A 19-year-old man was pronounced dead at the Harborview Medical Centre, where a critically injured 20-year-old woman was taken to surgery with a gun shot wound to her body, hospital spokeswoman Susan Gregg confirmed.
The afternoon shooting came a week before the end of the school year, and the situation was particularly tense when police initially reported that they were searching for a second suspect. They later said no one else was involved. Medics wait behind cover after a shooting at Seattle Pacific University on Thursday, June 5, 2014, in Seattle. Two other people were hospitalised. A 24-year-old man and a 22-year-old man also sustained injuries. Ms Gregg said one of those two men was not shot.
The university locked down its campus for several hours, and it alerted students and staff to stay inside. Some students were taking finals in the same building that the shooter entered. None of the victims were immediately identified.
“We're a community that relies on Jesus Christ for strength, and we'll need that at this point in time,” said Daniel Martin, president of Seattle Pacific University. At a news conference on Thursday night, Assistant Police Chief Paul McDonagh said the suspect in custody was a white male “approximately 26 years of age” who was not a student at the school. Mr McDonagh said his name would not be released until he was processed in custody for investigation of murder.
On Thursday evening, people packed the First Free Methodist Church on campus for a service of prayers and song. So many people crowded into the building that dozens of people gathered on a lawn near the church and formed their own groups as the sun set. Police initially reported that they were searching for a second suspect, but later confirmed they believe the gunman was acting alone.
About 4,270 undergraduate and graduate students attend the private Christian university. Its 40-acre campus is in a leafy residential neighborhood about 10 minutes from downtown Seattle. The school cancelled classes and other activities Friday. The university locked down its campus for several hours, and it alerted students and staff to stay inside. Some students were taking their final year exams in the same building that the shooter entered.
Jillian Smith was taking a maths test on the second floor of Otto Miller Hall when a lockdown was ordered. Student Jillian Smith, 20, said she was sitting an exam on the second floor of Otto Miller Hall when a lockdown was ordered.
She heard police yelling and banging on doors in the hallway. The professor locked the classroom door, and the 20 or so students sat on the ground, lining up at the front of the classroom.She heard police yelling and banging on doors in the hallway. The professor locked the classroom door, and the 20 or so students sat on the ground, lining up at the front of the classroom.
“We were pretty much freaking out,” said Smith, 20, a second-year student. “People were texting family and friends, making sure everyone was OK.” People bow their heads during a prayer service at the First Free Methodist Church on the campus of Seattle Pacific University in Seattle “We were pretty much freaking out,” said Ms Smith. “People were texting family and friends, making sure everyone was OK.”
About 45 minutes later, police came and escorted them out of the building two by two, she said. On the way, they passed the lobby where she saw bullet casings and what appeared to be blood in the lobby carpet and splatter on the wall. On Thursday evening, people packed into the First Free Methodist Church on campus and the surrounding lawn for a service.
“Seeing blood made it real,” Smith said. “I didn't think something like this would happen at our school.” Ashley Springer, 26, was in a classroom when a woman with a bullhorn came into the room and told them to lock the door, pull down the shades and turn out the lights.
Ashley Springer, 26, was in a classroom with her professor and a few other students when a woman with a bullhorn came into the room and told them to lock the door, pull down the shades and turn out the lights.
Springer, a senior, called Seattle Pacific University “a really close community.”
The gun violence follows a spate of recent shootings on or near college campuses.The gun violence follows a spate of recent shootings on or near college campuses.
Last month, according to police, Elliot Rodger killed six people and injured seven before turning his gun on himself in a rampage in Isla Vista, California, near two universities. Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, who rushed to the scene after being alerted to the incident, highlighted previous mass shootings in the city and said: “Once again the epidemic of gun violence has come to Seattle.”
Seven people were killed and three injured when a 43-year-old former student opened fire at a tiny Christian school, Oikos University, in Oakland, California, in 2012. A gunman killed five people and injured 18 when he opened fire in a Northern Illinois University lecture hall in 2008. About 4,270 undergraduate and graduate students attend the private Christian university. Its 40-acre campus is in a leafy residential neighborhood about 10 minutes from downtown Seattle.
In 2007, 32 people were fatally shot in a dorm and classroom at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, before the gunman killed himself. Additional reporting by agencies
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, noting previous mass shootings in the city, said: “Once again the epidemic of gun violence has come to Seattle.”
AP