An active-duty U.S. Army soldier is credited with saving “countless lives” after he stopped an active shooting Wednesday morning on Centennial Bridge in Leavenworth, Kansas.
In what was originally thought to be a road-rage incident that started around 11 a.m. turned out to be suspect who had stopped on the bridge and began shooting randomly at passing vehicles using a handgun and a rifle, according to the Associated Press.
The soldier, who is assigned to Fort Leavenworth, was in his car waiting on traffic. When he realized a shooting was taking place, he used his car to ram the suspect.
“There was an active-duty soldier assigned to Fort Leavenworth waiting in traffic behind the event who saw the event unfold and determined it was an active shooter,” Leavenworth police Chief Patrick Kitchens said. “The soldier intervened by striking the shooter with his vehicle, causing him to be critically injured, ending the encounter with the active shooter and likely saving countless lives.”
When police arrived, the suspect was trapped under a car. A photo circulating on social media shows what appears to be a pickup truck – presumably used by the soldier – nearby a shot-up car. A police officer can be seen pointing a rifle toward the front of the truck.
Police: Ft. Leavenworth soldier stops active shooter on bridge https://t.co/ruj3e24KxT #LivePD #LivePDNation
— Blue Alert (@BlueAlertUs) May 27, 2020
The total number of rounds fired off was not specified, but at least seven bullets struck a single car, and two other cars were shot by an unspecified number of rounds. Inside one of those cars was another active-duty Fort Leavenworth soldier who was struck by gunfire and seriously wounded.
Both the injured soldier and the suspect were transported to the hospital with serious injuries, but were last reported in stable condition.
“There doesn’t appear to be a target,” Kitchens said of the suspect’s motive. “The person was simply, randomly firing at vehicles as they passed by.”
The Centennial Bridge is a bridge connecting Kansas and Missouri over the Missouri River, and is located just two miles from Fort Leavenworth.
