Kansas soldier stopped active shooter in Leavenworth, saving ‘countless lives’: police
A Fort Leavenworth soldier intervened to stop an active shooter on the Centennial Bridge Wednesday morning, “likely saving countless lives,” the local police chief said.
The incident unfolded about 11 a.m. when a man appeared to be firing shots at random on the busy bi-state bridge, which connects Leavenworth and Platte County over the Missouri River, Leavenworth Police Chief Pat Kitchens said.
One person, who appeared to be an unintended target, was hit.
A soldier from nearby Fort Leavenworth was waiting in traffic when he witnessed the shooting, Kitchens said. The soldier stopped the person, he said, “by striking the shooter with his vehicle.”
Kitchens said the soldier’s actions brought an end to the shooting. Leavenworth police were called to investigate.
“What was a very, very dangerous situation fortunately was ended quite quickly,” Kitchens said. “Again, very likely countless lives were saved by the person who intervened.”
A picture submitted to The Star appeared to show the incident coming to an end with one officer pointing a gun at the driver’s side of a white truck, which appeared to have been involved in a crash with a black car. A second officer was seen behind the black car while three other people stood behind two police cars.
Officers located one shooting victim, another soldier from Fort Leavenworth, who was taken to a hospital. The victim was in serious but stable condition by Wednesday afternoon.
The suspected shooter was also taken to a hospital with serious injuries from the crash.
Two additional vehicles were struck by gunfire, Kitchens said, but no other injuries were reported.
The police chief said the soldier who stopped the shooter was questioned and later released. He said he was not able to release further details, but stated Wednesday it was clear that the soldier “intervened and saved countless people from either being shot or wounded.”
Leavenworth detectives were processing the scene and interviewing witnesses. Kitchens said police have not yet determined why the suspect, said to be a Platte County resident, began firing shots on the bridge, but police were looking into the person’s history within the community. The police chief said it appears at least two guns were associated with the shooting.
The Leavenworth County Sheriff’s Office, the Platte County Sheriff’s Office, the Kansas Highway Patrol and other agencies assisted at the scene.
The bridge was shut down for several hours as the investigation continued.
Gun violence will be the subject of a new, statewide journalism project The Star is undertaking in Missouri this year in partnership with the national service program Report for America. As part of this project, The Star will seek the community’s help.
To contribute, visit Report for America online at reportforamerica.org.
This story was originally published May 27, 2020 at 4:10 PM.
