A shotgun-wielding man on the campus of Seattle Pacific University late last week was tackled and subdued by a 22-year-old student armed with pepper spray and nerves of steel. Jon Meis, an electrical engineering student, was monitoring the science and engineering building on campus when the gunman entered and began firing at people, killing one and injuring two others. Meis was able to pepper-spray the man, tackle him and, with the assistance of other students, keep him detained until police arrived.
The shooter was identified as 26-year-old Aaron R. Ybarra, a stranger to the campus with a history of mental health issues. After his arrest, Ybarra confessed that his intent was to kill as many people as possible before taking his own life. He appeared in court on Friday; a judge determined that he would be held without bail.
Meis, an honor’s student in electrical engineering, was distraught but not hurt in the encounter. Friends said he was getting married soon and had accepted a position with Boeing.
“I’m proud of the selfless actions that my roommate, Jon Meis, showed today taking down the shooter,” fellow student Matt Garcia wrote on Twitter. “He is a hero.”
