http://freestudents.blogspot.com/2007/04/when-mass-killers-meet-armed-resist
ance.html
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
When mass killers meet armed resistance.
It took place at a university in Virginia. A student with a grudge, an
immigrant, pulled a gun and went on a shooting spree. It wasn't Virginia
Tech at all. It was the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, not far away.
You can easily drive from the one school to the other, just take a trip down
Route 460 through Tazewell.
It was January 16, 2002 when Peter Odighizuwa came to campus. He had been
suspended due to failing grades. Odighizuwa was angry and waving a gun
calling on students to "come get me". The students, seeing the gun, ran. A
shooting spree started almost immediately. In seconds Odighizuwa had killed
the school dean, a professor and one student. Three other students were shot
as well, one in the chest, one in the stomach and one in the throat.
Many students heard the shots. Two who did were Mikael Gross and Tracy
Bridges. Mikael was outside the school having just returned to campus from
lunch when he heard the shots. Tracy was inside attending class. Both
immediately ran to their cars. Each had a handgun locked in the vehicle.
Bridges pulled a .357 Magnum pistol and he later said he was prepared to
shoot to kill if necessary. He and Gross both approached Odighizuwa at the
same time from different directions. Both were pointing their weapons at
him. Bridges yelled for Odighizuwa to drop his weapon. When the shooter
realized they had the drop on him he threw his weapon down. A third student,
unarmed, Ted Besen, approached the killer and was physically attacked.
But Odighizuwa was now disarmed. The three students were able to restrain
him and held him for the police. Odighizuwa is now in prison for the murders
he committed. His killing spree ended when he faced two students with
weapons. There would be no further victims that day, thanks to armed
resistance.
You wouldn't know much about that though. Do you wonder why? The media,
though it widely reported the attack left out the fact that Bridges and
Gross were armed. Most simply reported that the gunman was jumped and
subdued by other students. That two of those students were now armed didn't
get a mention.
