Jon Meis, the hero in the Seattle Pacific University shooting who tackled the suspect and disarmed him, took the stand on Tuesday.
Prosecutors say Aaron Ybarra, who is now 29, shot and killed 19-year-old Paul Lee and injured two others on SPU's campus in 2014. Ybarra's trial began on Monday.
Jon Meis arrives at courtroom to testify in #SPUtrial. He is credited with tackling & disarming shooter. @KIRO7Seattle pic.twitter.com/QMv3Do1hro
— AMY CLANCY (@ClancyKIRO7) October 11, 2016
"I saw the shooter with his shotgun open, trying to reload so I took pepper spray that I had in my backpack," Meis said in court. "I went out of my door, sprayed him twice, grappled a little bit, got the shotgun away, put the shotgun in my office.”
Meis: “He had a knife,fell to the ground, I just held him there, another student came, I yelled at him to get the knife away, he helped me."
— AMY CLANCY (@ClancyKIRO7) October 11, 2016
Meis: “He had shotgun aimed, kinda sweeping back and forth throughout that room, at the students, threatening them.” #SPUtrial @KIRO7Seattle
— AMY CLANCY (@ClancyKIRO7) October 11, 2016
After Meis heard a shot he grabbed his pepper spray and headed into lobby where Ybarra was armed. #SPUtrial @KIRO7Seattle pic.twitter.com/jBFInz2lr3
— AMY CLANCY (@ClancyKIRO7) October 11, 2016
“He was crouched down, facing away from me and it looked like he was trying to pull something out of pocket," Meis said in court. "[Ybarra said to me] you shouldn’t have taken the knife away from me, I was going to cut my throat."
>> Related: Read about Jon Meis, The Seattle Pacific University student who stopped the shooter
In June, 21 campus surveillance videos of the incident were released by the King County Prosecutor's Office.
One of the recently released videos shows everything Jon Meis did. KIRO 7 News broadcast while Jesus Villahermosa, an active shooter training expert, provided context.
Villahermosa believes Meis’ actions are a good example of how a bystander can prevent further bloodshed. Sharing the video could enhance public safety.
Watch the video here or below.
Meis, a dean's list electrical-engineering student, was emotionally anguished but not injured in the shooting. Read coverage from the day of the shooting here.
Cox Media Group
