As details emerge about the middle school shooting in Littleton, CO, I am increasingly in awe of the true heroism of the teacher who almost certainly saved the day:
“David Benke, a 57-year-old teacher and father of three, said he heard one shot and saw the gunman squeeze off a second round as he sprinted toward the man. Another teacher, Norm Hanne, helped subdue the gunman, and Assistant Principal Becky Brown grabbed the gun as it lay on the ground in the parking lot.
“Benke, who is 6-foot-5 and has been taking some martial arts training lately, said he told the gunman: “Look, bud, I’m 6-5. … You’re not going anywhere, so let’s kind of relax till the sheriff’s people get here.”
“Schools in Littleton have gone through extensive emergency drills since the Columbine tragedy, and Benke said he always thought about what he would do if a shooting broke out. “I said, `I hope that I’m capable of doing something about it,’” he recalled.”
OK, six-foot-five is a big boy, but when going unarmed against a rifle, size makes no difference. Unless the size refers to courage, in which case he’s quite larger than the rest of us and it made all the difference.
Mr Benke proves the wisdom of instant decisive in the face of a crisis. Good lessons for us all: think about the problem, figure out what you have to do about it, and when the time comes, do it; do it quickly and don’t balk.
