LEAVENWORTH, Kan. — A Ft. Leavenworth soldier is speaking out and being hailed a hero. Police say he stopped an active shooter on the Centennial Bridge Wednesday, May 27.
Master Sergeant David Royer said he was stuck in traffic on his way home, talking to his fiance, Haley Siela, through his Bluetooth speakers. That’s when he saw someone getting out of their car. Siela said her fiance won’t call himself a hero, but she will.
“I heard eight or nine gunshots,” Siela said. “I was so scared, because I didn’t know how this was going to turn out.”
The shooter, a 37-year-old Platte County man started shooting an AR15. Bullets from his gun hit three cars, and shot another active service member in one of them.
Siela got off the phone with Royer and dialed 911, and Royer said he put his training to use.
“I accelerated my truck as quickly as possible and struck the active shooter and pinned him under my truck,” Royer said.
What Royer did next may surprise you. He got out of his truck and tended to the shooter. He made sure he was no longer armed, and then he checked to see if he was alright.
“He saved all those people,” Leavenworth Police Chief, Pat Kitchens, said. “His actions are extraordinary and he should be commended for that.”
“Most people in my situation would have done the same thing,” Royer said. “There was nothing else I could do.”
When he saw Haley and his kids again she says it was a miracle.
“I thought the worst, because it’s a bridge,” Siela said. “I felt like he was going to be confined… so it’s really a miracle that he made it through, and I’m really proud of him.”
“I just wanted to get home, get everything back to normal,” Royer said. “Get back to my kids, give them a hug, and then I mowed my grass, ate dinner and spent time with my family.
Royer’s 2014 Chevy Silverado is totaled after the incident. He says it was the first vehicle he purchased himself, and he had a lot of good memories in it.
The service member who was shot is still in the hospital and is expected to be okay.
Leavenworth County District Attorney Todd Thompson said his office will make an announcement Friday afternoon about charges against the shooter, who is also in the hospital. He will not be identified until he is charged.
