Seattle shooting suspect identified
Seattle shooting suspect identified, The two survivors of the Seattle college shooting and their families are dealing with extensive trauma over the incident, a hospital spokeswoman said Friday.
"You're undergoing the physical side, taking care of the physical injuries, but you also have to take a look at the mental side of this situation," said Harborview Medical Center spokeswoman Susan Gregg.
The two were among three people shot Thursday at Seattle Pacific University when a man armed with a shotgun opened fire inside a building. The third shooting victim died, authorities said.
One of the patients, a 19-year-old woman, remains unconscious and in critical but stable condition Friday after five hours of surgery the day before, Gregg said.
A student security guard doused the shooter with pepper spray and tackled him as he tried to reload his shotgun, according to police.
"Once on the ground, other students jumped on top of them and subdued the shooter," police Capt. Chris Fowler told reporters.
The suspect, identified as 26-year-old Aaron Ybarra, was scheduled to make an initial court appearance at 2:30 p.m. (5:30 p.m. ET).
Police say Ybarra isn't a student at the school. They say they think he acted alone, but the investigation is continuing. Police did not disclose a motive.
Meis carries pepper spray as a precaution, his roommate Ryan Salgado told the The Seattle Times. The report described Meis as a devout Christian and dedicated student.
Could have been worse
The shooting began in the foyer of Otto Miller Hall, which houses the university's science, math and engineering departments, when the gunman confronted three people and shot them, Fowler said.
Student Briana Clarke saw students covered in blood.
"When I walked outside and saw someone down, that was disturbing seeing a bunch of bullets around," she said. "Seeing my friend outside being treated, that was hard to swallow."
She thought that she could have been a victim.Blake Oliveria was in a class when he heard the gunshots.
He said he removed his shoes in case he had to run but stayed in the classroom until police arrived to escort students out.
"I saw blood ... on the ground," he told CNN. "There were two or three big (pools) and some small ones scattered throughout the hallway."
The 19-year-old woman suffered chest and abdominal injuries, Gregg said. The 24-year-old man had what she described as pellet fragment injuries to his neck, chin and extremities. He has not needed surgery, she said.
Police are convinced the shooter would have harmed more people had those around him not intervened.
"This story is not about an evil act but about the people that actually lived through this scenario and assisted each other when things were pretty tragic," said Seattle police Assistant Chief Paul McDonagh.
University President Daniel J. Martin praised the school's students, emotionally telling CNN affiliate KCPQ that they had "acted without regard for their own safety."
A man who said he was acquainted with Ybarra said he was surprised by the news, CNN affiliate KIRO reported.
"It just makes me ill," he told the station. "I didn't think that he was capable of something like that."
Questions
Mary Jones' daughter attends Seattle Pacific but was unharmed. Still, she wonders how safe colleges will be without laws regulating access to guns.
"Where are the controls to keep our children from purchasing a handgun or any other kind of weapon? And does that take government controls to keep that from happening? I don't know," she told KOMO. "There has to be a greater understanding of what that weapon can do and the pain it can inflict on another person's life."
Seattle Pacific, a Christian university with a student population of more than 4,200, canceled classes Friday and scheduled a prayer service for noon (3 p.m. ET).
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