Seattle Hero Jon Meis Called Quiet 'Courageous' Man
What to know about the 22-year-old who tackled the gunman.
June 6, 2014— -- The man who stopped the Seattle campus shooting from becoming a massacre was described by friends today as quiet and religious, but also a "selfless, courageous man."
Jon Meis attacked the gunman with pepper spray while he tried to reload during Thursday's rampage at Seattle Pacific University. With the help of other students, Meis then wrestled the suspect Aaron Ybarra to the ground until police arrived.
The suspect has already shot three people, killing one, police said.
Seattle Campus Hero Identified as Jon Meis
One Killed, Three Injured in Seattle School Shooting
Meis, 22, is a senior studying engineering and a teaching assistant at the small Christian school. He was working at the security monitor desk at the time of Thursday's attack.
He's also a tech whiz, according to his social media presence. Meis is an intern at Boeing Commercial Airplanes, according to his LinkedIn page, and part of an engineering group on Facebook.
Pals are offering praise for the man they say saved lives.
"I'm so proud to know Jon Meis," Joe Schenck wrote on Twitter. "He's always been an incredible friend. Now he's a hero. A selfless, courageous man whom I admire greatly."
Meis' roommate also thanked him for his quick-thinking.
"I'm proud of the selfless actions that my roommate, Jon Meis, showed today taking down the shooter," Matt Garcia wrote on Twitter. "He is a hero."
Meis and his family could not be reached for comment. A recording on his family's home answering machine asks for privacy.
"If you want to know what you can do to help, we ask that you pray for the family that has lost their student and pray for the student community at Seattle Pacific University," the recording says.
Meis was taken to Harborview Medical Center after the altercation but is expected to be okay, hospital spokeswoman Susan Gregg said today.
"Obviously he's undergoing mental anguish," Gregg said. "There were no visible injuries. It was, I think, coming to grips with what happened, the trauma of seeing what happened to his fellow students."
Meis typically carries pepper spray, his friend and former roommate Ryan Salgado told the Seattle Times.
A family friend described Meis as quiet and coming from a close, religious family, according to the newspaper.
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