David Benke Tackles Gunman at Deer Creek Middle School: Bruco Strongeagle Eastwood is Colorado School Shooter?

A man with a "big gun" appeared on the school ground at Deer Creek Middle School in Littleton, Colorado as students prepared to board an after-school bus. Allegedly, Bruco Strongeagle Eastwood shot two students before math teacher, Dr. David Benke, tackled and disarmed him. One student remains in critical condition this morning. See a video below.

Dr. David Benke - Deer Creek Middle School

Two students were injured: Matt Thieu, 14, received a gunshot wound to the chest. Reagan Weber, 13, was shot in the arm. Matt Thieu is in critical condition. Ms. Weber was treated and released from the Littleton Adventist Hospital. Thie was transferred to Children's Hospital in Denver.

Eastwood, 32, is a convicted felon and is believed to be a former student at Deer Creek Middle School. A yearbook photo shows Bruco Eastwood in 1992. He has a long rap sheet including arrests for domestic violence, DUI, motor vehicle theft and "menacing. His father, War Eagle Eastwood says his son has led a troubled life and "hears voices," and talks back to the voices. 

According to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, he has been arrested at least nine times. Besides intermittent stints in jail, he has lived in Hudson, Commerce City and Federal Heights, records show.

 Eastwood also has been a defendant in civil lawsuits, including one in which his horses roamed onto Interstate 76 and caused an accident with injuries. 

Steve Potter, a Deer Creek bus drive witnessed Dr. Benke taking the shooter down, and rushed to help.

Dr. Benke was out there at the time the school was being let out. It looked to me like he heard the shot and decided to react accordingly," Steve Potter told FOX31 News. "There was a little bit of a wresting match for about 5 seconds or so," before Benke had disarmed the gunman, Potter said.

Potter, who also helped subdue the gunman after Benke tackled him, said the suspect was rambling incoherently as they held him down.

"He was uttering some obscenities here and there, but nothing that made a whole lot of sense to me."

Updates on the Deer Creek shootings as available.

Todd T. Brown is 9th Grader Shot at Discovery Middle School

The Discovery Middle School in Madison, Alabama was the scene of one 9th graders shooting another 9th grader, both of whom are students at the school. Todd T. Brown was shot in the back as the head as he walked down the school's hallway. Update 8:45 PM CST: Todd Brown has died from his wounds. The shooter is still unidentified. Ongoing updates here.

 

Todd T. Brown

Janelle Lawrence, also a 9th grader was standing near Todd when she heard shots that she thought were balloons popping. The students standing with Todd at the time ran to get help. Ms. Lawrence thought Todd had passed out. She walked to him and another student told her he had been shot. According to Lawrence:

He walked into the bathroom and put the gun in the last stall, is what a lot of the students said in their statements to the police," Lawrence said. "He just sat in the stall until police came and got him.

This report from WAFF48News had a reporter on the scene when the ambulance arrived with the teenager, and said they were giving him CPR.

Crisis Services of North Alabama wants to remind the public of the availability of our services.
You can call the crisis line in the Huntsville/Madison area at (256) 716-1000 or toll free from Northern Alabama at 1-800-691-8426. Their trained volunteer telephone counselors are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Beacon Hill Worship Center at 911 Miller Boulevard in Madison will be open to those who would like to pray for Brown.

Click here to go to the Todd Brown prayer Facebook page.

The shooting occured about 1:45 PM EST today. Discovery Middle School is located on Hughes Road in Madison. The shooter has not been identified. Todd T. Brown remains in critical condition at a Huntsville Hospital. I'll have updates as available. My prayers go out to this young man and his family.

Update 2-8-10:

See information on the murderer of Todd T Brown here.

See information on funeral services for Todd here.