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Video Shows Student Takedown Of Gunman In University Shooting

Jon Meis tackled the gunman and likely saved others in the 2014 attack.
Screenshot/The Seattle Times

Two years after a deadly shooting at Seattle Pacific University, prosecutors have released surveillance footage showing the heroic actions of a student who disarmed the gunman.

The graphic video was released Tuesday by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office after a lengthy court battle between media outlets, the university and victims, The Seattle Times reports.

The full video (not posted here) shows the accused gunman, Aaron R. Ybarra, 26, shoot a female student with a shotgun. When Ybarra pauses to reload, student-safety monitor Jon Meis jumps from behind a corner, pepper-sprays the assailant in the face, tackles him to the floor and takes away the shotgun. After stashing the weapon out of the view of the security camera, Meis returns and grabs the killer in a headlock.

WARNING: GRAPHIC VIDEO

Paul Lee, 19, of Portland, was killed in the June 5, 2014, attack. Two other students were wounded.

Ybarra, who had a history of mental illness, is scheduled to go on trial in September on charges of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder. Ybarra and his attorney are reportedly pursuing an insanity defense.

Meis quickly emerged as a hero, credited with saving other students' lives.

"I knew that if I didn't stop him, he would keep going," Meis said of the gunman, in an interview with NBC News.

Seattle Pacific University said in statement Monday it was "disappointed" by the release of surveillance videos.

"We, along with others, have pursued legal action to stop the videos' release in order to protect individual privacy and prevent the emotional distress these images will have on our community," the university said. "Seattle Pacific University remains strong and resilient as a result of God’s faithfulness to us. Our foremost concern continues to be the welfare and safety of not only our students, faculty, and staff, but of the victims and witnesses of the tragedy."