The hero of Seattle Pacific: Student who pepper-sprayed and disarmed shotgun-wielding man as he reloaded after killing one student and wounding three more in college rampage

Jon Meis, an engineering student, has been identified by classmates as the hero who stopped a rampage

Meis was working as a hall monitor and disarmed the gunman with pepper spray and several other students piled on and held him until police arrived

The suspect is Aaron Ybarra, 26, a former janitor at LA Fitness who still lives with his parents

Ybarra wasn't a student and had no connection to Seattle Pacific or his victims



A 19-year-old man was killed and a 20-year-old woman remains in critical condition

The other two students are in stable condition

Seattle Pacific University, a small Christian college, went into full lockdown

Hero: Friends have identified Jon Meis, a 26-year-old engineering student, as the hero who stopped the gunman

A 26-year-old gunman has opened fire at a small, Christian university in Seattle - killing one student and wounding three more with shotgun blasts.



And police say he could have killed others if it wasn't for the actions of one heroic student who pepper sprayed the gunman and tackled him to the ground.



Students at Seattle Pacific University say Jon Meis saved countless lives when he sprang into action as the shooter stopped to reload his weapon Thursday afternoon.

Meis, a 26-year-old engineering student, is engaged to be married and has 'everything to live for' friends said. But he risked his life and ended the murderous rampage.

'I'm proud of the selfless actions that my roommate, Jon Meis, showed today taking down the shooter. He is a hero,' tweeted Matt Garcia.

Classmate Briana Clarke told the Seattle Times that Meis, who was on duty as a hall monitor, sprayed the attacker in the face, grabbed him around the neck and then wrestled him to the ground.



'There were a lot of shells on the ground..it looked like he was planning to go the distance and Jon stopped him,' another student told KOMO-TV.



Several other students then piled on the attacker and held him until police arrived.



'But for the great response for the people at Seattle Pacific this incident would have been much more tragic,' assistant police chief Paul McDonagh said Thursday night.

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This is the scene of the deadly shooting inside a science building at Seattle Pacific University. Shotgun shells can be seen littering the ground

Tragedy: A victim is loaded into an ambulance on the campus of Seattle Pacific University after a shooting Thursday afternoon

This is Aaron Ybarra, 26, who allegedly opened fire at Seattle Pacific University, killing one and wounding three

A 19-year-old male student was shot in the head and died at a nearby hospital. A 20-year-old female student was shot in the neck and remains in critical condition.

Two other students, both males in their 20s, were wounded but are in good condition after sustaining minor injuries.

The gunman has been identified as Aaron Ybarra, 26, according to KIRO-TV. Authorities say he is not a student and has no connection to Seattle Pacific University or to any of his victims. Detectives are still trying to determine why he targeted the college.



Police say he is not a student, but reports indicate he had visited campus in recent weeks to scope it out.

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Next Husband and wife found dead at home with their three young... Deadly game of cat and mouse: Desperate manhunt for... Share this article Share KING-TV reports that Ybarra lives with his parents in the Seattle area. He has reportedly confessed to the shootings and even bragged about the carnage he inflicted on the campus. Authorities say he did not expect to survive the rampage.

His Facebook page says he is a former janitor at LA Fitness and attended Edmonds Community College.

In the panic, police believed there was a second shooter and searched for up to an hour, possibly delaying medical attention for the wounded, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports. Hero: Jon Meis, 26, is credited with stopping the would-be murderous rampage by tackling the gunman. Meis is seen here with his fiancee Kaylie Sparks Ybarra, 26, says he is a former janitor at LA Fitness. According to reports, he still lives with his parents in a Seattle suburb

Students who fled Otto Miller Hall were patted down and scanned by officers to ensure they were not armed Hunt: Police officers and detectives search a home believed to be tied to shooting suspect Aaron Ybarra Guard: Officers were parked up outside the home as detectives roamed inside searching for evidence Search: Police outside the home believed to be connected to Ybarra. He reportedly bragged of the carnage Armed: Police entered the house with their guns drawn last night. Authorities say the suspect is not a student

Witnesses said the gunman barged into Otto Miller Hall - the science and engineering building for the university - about 3.30pm on Thursday.



One witness told KIRO-TV that the gunman held his weapon on three students and told them not to move, when they did, he shot and wounded two and shot another student in the face.

The victim who was shot in the face was rushed to the hospital, where he died.



'The shooter began to reload his shotgun and a student that is the building monitor inside the hall confronted the shooter, was able to subdued the individual, and once on the ground, other students jumped on top of him and were able to pin the shooter to the ground until police arrived,' Seattle Police Captain Chris Fowler said in a press conference.



Seattle Pacific is a small Christian college associated with the Free Methodist Church with a student body just of about 4,370.



Medics work on one of the victims from the deadly Seattle Pacific University shooting before taking the subject to the hospital for treatment

Students were evacuated from Otto Miller Hall, where the shooting took place, and led single-file out of the building by armed officers

Students comforted each other as they frantically tried to get in touch with loved ones following the chaos of the shooting

This is believed to be the truck that belongs to the suspect, who is currently being interviewed by police. It is parked on campus near the building where he opened fire

The university was placed on lockdown and the administrators advised students to stay inside and lock their windows and doors and close their blinds. Students were sent an email blast that warned: 'THIS IS NOT A DRILL.'

It's unknown whether the gunman is a student at the university or whether the victims were random strangers or targeted.



Some students told KCPQ-TV that they recognized the shooter, indicating that they might have recognized the gunman.



Video from KIRO-TV showed a young man who appeared to be in his late teens or early 20s being led away in handcuffs.



Seattle Pacific students gathered to pray after the the horrific violence on their small campus Thursday afternoon

A grieving student covers his face as he mourns the loss of a classmate at the small Methodist university

Following the lift of a lockdown in the wake of a school shooting, Seattle Pacific University faculty members Caenisha Warren, left, and Tanisha Hanson, right, embrace each other