Not all deadly force situations require a deadly force response. On Tuesday February 23rd a 32 year old man walked into a middle school parking lot and began to shoot at teenagers and staff with a high-powered bolt action riffle. It was then that a teacher tackled the gunman. “Benke confronted the 32-year-old gunman, tackled him and pinned him to the ground with the help of another teacher, stopping what could have been a much more violent encounter in a city all too familiar with tragic school shootings.” the Associated Press reports. AP also reports “Police said they aren’t immediately sure about what motivated Bruco Strongeagle Eastwood to target Deer Creek Middle School just after classes had ended for the day. Eastwood has an arrest record in Colorado dating back to 1996 for menacing, assault, domestic violence and driving under the influence, and he is believed to have a history of mental issues.
Jefferson County Sheriff Ted Mink praised Benke and called him a hero, and the math teacher’s status seems to be growing by the minute. A Facebook page called “Dr. David Benke.. A TRUE hero!” quickly picked up more than 1,000 fans by Wednesday morning.”
Making the decision to confront and disarm the gunman made Bebke a instant hero.
