Soldier stops active shooter firing on bridge

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Fort Leavenworth soldier likely saved “countless lives” by ramming his car into an active shooter who was randomly firing on a bridge, police said.

The active-duty soldier was waiting in traffic early Wednesday on the Centennial Bridge, which connects Kansas and Missouri, when he witnessed a man firing shots from the span using at least two guns, the Kansas City Star reports.

The 34-year-old soldier from the nearby Army installation stopped the gunman “by striking the shooter with his vehicle,” Leavenworth Police Chief Pat Kitchens said.

“What was a very, very dangerous situation fortunately was ended quite quickly,” Kitchen told reporters. “Again, very likely countless lives were saved by the person who intervened.”

It’s unclear why the suspect, of Platte County, Missouri, started firing, but Kitchens said he was armed with at least a handgun and a semi-automatic rifle as he started firing randomly at cars on the bridge after getting out of his vehicle, KSHB reports.

“I heard like nine or 10 shots up there, by then it was rapid-fire,” witness Charlie Jordan told the station. “It was just, ‘bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam.’ Just like fireworks.”

One person was shot during the incident — another active-duty soldier from Fort Leavenworth who appeared to be an unintended target. He was taken to a hospital, where he was listed in serious but stable condition Wednesday, the Kansas City Star reports.

The unidentified soldier who thwarted the suspect was not hurt, but the alleged gunman was hospitalized with serious injuries stemming from the crash, Kitchens said.

The suspect at one point was beneath his vehicle as authorities began to close in, one witness said.

“I’m just glad he was able to get taken down, you know,” Austin Menzel told KSHB. “I’m glad that somebody did something about it, nonetheless an active-duty solider. So congrats to that hero … he did good.”

Master Sgt. David Royer stood upright with his interlocking hands in front of him Thursday as he matter-of-factly recounted how he rammed his truck into an active shooter before heading home to hug his kids, mow the grass and have dinner.

The military police officer based at Fort Leavenworth likely saved "countless lives" with his quick action one day earlier when a gunman opened fire on a busy bridge connecting Kansas and Missouri, police said.

"I don't necessarily myself feel like I'm a hero," Royer said. "I feel as if most people in my situation would have done the same thing. There was nothing else I could do... I knew lives were in danger."

The gunfire erupted late Wednesday morning on the Centennial Bridge when a man armed with two weapons stopped his vehicle, stepped out and began shooting, according to Leavenworth Police Chief Patrick Kitchens.

One motorist was wounded.

Soldier 'assessed the situation very quickly'
Royer was sitting in his truck, chatting with his fiancee via speaker phone during heavy construction traffic on his way home. He saw a man outside a car in front of him.

"As I was talking to her, the man pulled up a rifle and started aiming... and began to shoot off some rounds," Royer recalled.

Royer told his fiancee to call 911 and hung up.

"I assessed the situation very quickly, looked around and took the only action possible that I felt I could take," he told reporters. "I accelerated my truck as quickly as possible and struck the active shooter and pinned him underneath my truck."

The motorist wounded by gunfire is also a soldier at Fort Leavenworth, the police chief said. The gunman was also injured. Both men were in serious but stable condition at a hospital, according to Kitchens.

"What was a very, very dangerous situation fortunately was ended quite quickly and ... very likely countless lives were saved by the person who intervened and helped," Kitchens said.

The shooter randomly fired at cars
Royer said his training as a military police officer during 15 years in the Army and adrenalin took over when the shots rang out.

After plowing into the gunman, Royer said he came out his truck but didn't immediately see the shooter. He walked around and saw the rifle on the ground.

"I assumed he was not a threat anymore," he said.

The gunman was trapped beneath the ruck. Royer tried to assess the man's condition. The shooter mumbled but Royer couldn't understand him. He saw a pistol when he went to shut off the car's engine.

Within minutes, local law enforcement arrived at the bridge. Some motorists thanked Royer.

"After the incident was over I was pretty calm," he said. "But when I got home I just wanted to get everything back to normal -- get to my kids, give them a hug and then I mowed my grass, ate dinner and spent time with my family."

Two cars on the bridge were hit by gunfire. The passengers weren't hurt. Kitchens said the gunman appeared to have randomly opened fire on cars.

Police were called about 11 a.m. Wednesday, as Kansas transportation department personnel did work on the bridge. The initial report was of shots fired in a potential road rage incident, Kitchens said.

"As the investigation unfolded, we learned this was an active shooter with multiple weapons on the bridge firing at cars with no particular association," he said.

The shooter had a handgun and a semiautomatic rifle, the police chief said.

The motive is under investigation. Royer wasn't hurt.

Police have not commented on criminal charges against the gunman.

'I had a lot of good times in that truck'
The military veteran hails from a small town in Ohio. His father is a truck driver who has stopped to pull people to safety at highway wrecks. His mother is a feisty "smaller woman" who once stood up to man who was 6 feet, 5 inches tall to protect his brother, he said.

"They're very strong and they've shown me -- do not let fear take control of you," Royer said.

Royer's 2014 Chevrolet Silverado sustained extensive damage.

"First vehicle I ever owned in my name," he said. "I had a lot of good times in that truck."

The gunman, who was not identified, resides in Platte County, Missouri, according to Kitchens.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was tracing the weapons, CNN affiliate KMBC TV reported.