Colorado teacher who tackled gunman lauded as hero

LITTLETON, Colo. — The math teacher who has become a national hero after breaking up a potentially deadly school shooting near the site of the 1999 Columbine massacre said Wednesday he simply was doing his job to protect students.

Littleton schools have gone through extensive emergency drills after the Columbine tragedy, and David Benke said he always thought about what he'd do if a shooting broke out.

"If something happens and there's something that I can do about it, I want to try and do something about it," an emotional Benke said at a news conference with other staff members from Deer Creek Middle School. "I said, 'I hope that I'm capable of doing something about it.' "

School officials praised the quick actions by Benke and his colleagues as further proof that post-Columbine preparations have paid off. But authorities still are investigating to better understand what happened, including why and for how long the accused gunman, 32-year-old Bruco Strong Eagle Eastwood, was inside the school building before the shooting.

Assistant Principal Becky Brown said the suspect had signed in at the main office about noon Tuesday — some three hours before the shooting. Investigators were interviewing staff members in an effort to reconstruct events, and they have found live rounds from the rifle at several places on school grounds.

Eastwood said nothing Wednesday during a brief hearing where a judge set bail at $1 million cash. The unemployed ranch hand appeared by video hookup from the jail. He faces two counts of attempted first-degree murder.

Eastwood has an arrest record in Colorado dating to 1996 for menacing, assault, domestic violence and driving under the influence, and he is believed to have a history of mental issues. The sheriff's department said Eastwood is a former student of the school who has attended community college off and on in pursuit of his GED.

Authorities said he opened fire in the parking lot with a bolt-action rifle as terrified teenagers ran for their lives. Two students were wounded.

Benke, a 6-foot-5 former college basketball player who oversees the school's track team, tackled the gunman. Another teacher, Norm Hanne, helped pin the gunman to the ground. Brown, the assistant principal, grabbed the rifle.

"Unfortunately he got another round off before I could grab him," Benke said. "He figured out that he wasn't going to be able to get another round chambered before I got to him so he dropped the gun, and then we were kind of struggling around trying to get him subdued."

Benke suddenly is a hero. A Facebook page called "Dr. David Benke Is A Hero!!!!" quickly grew to more than 21,000 members, and his actions were discussed on the floor of the state Senate.

"Sometimes that's just what we need. We need someone to be a hero for us," said state Sen. Mike Kopp, who lives in Benke's Littleton neighborhood.

Benke, a father of 7-year-old twins and a 13-year-old girl, fought back tears after Jefferson County Sheriff Ted Mink thanked him Tuesday.

"Believe me when I say, I think he stopped what could have been a more tragic event than it was this afternoon," Mink said.

The victims, students Reagan Webber and Matt Thieu, were both treated at a Littleton hospital. A spokeswoman said Webber was released.