The newly released CCTV video showed a heroic student bravely tackled and disarms the Seattle Pacific University gunman. The brave student quickly pulled the shotgun out of the gunman's hands and detain the suspect until the police arrived.
On Tuesday, the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office released the video dated June 5, 2014 showing Aaron Ybarra armed with a double-barreled shotgun walking into the college's Otto Miller Hall. While the 27-year-old Ybarra turns his head down to reload his firearm, Seattle Pacific University student Jon Meis came out from a nearby room, sprayed Ybarra with pepper spray and apprehended the suspect.Before Ybarra walked into the college building, he already killed one student and injured two others, NY Daily News reported.
During the shootout, Ybarra killed the 19 year old student from Beaverton, Ore. - Paul Lee. In that blast, Thomas Fowler Jr. was wounded by shotgun pellets, while Sarah Williams, was seriously injured when Ybarra shot her in the hall, Seattle Times reported.
Authorities unleashed 18 DVDs that contain dozens of hours of surveillance, in which the video has been the topic of a contentious legal proceedings, King 5 reported.
The Seattle Pacific University along with the victims tried to block the release of the CCTV video, for the reason that it violated victims' privacy rights and that the surveillance video could motivate other people to do the crime.
The Seattle Pacific University made a statement by saying that they are downhearted by the release of the videos of the shootout. The university officials, along with some individuals, have filed a legal action to stop the release of the videos in order to preserve and protect individual privacy, and disallow the emotional distress these images will have on their community.
The attorney of Seattle Pacific University - Michael R. McKinstry, described the shooting as an act of terrorism, and attorney McKinstry made a compelling point that the footage would give criminals an idea of the school's surveillance systems.
As for Meis' acts of life-saving heroism, he was recognized in 2015 by the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation as a Citizen Honors Program honoree.
