Soldier Hailed As Hero After Running Over Active Shooter On Bridge

An active duty soldier based at Fort Leavenworth stopped an active shooter on a bridge when he ran the man over with his “brand new truck.” Now, Master Sergeant David Royer is being credited with saving a countless number of lives. 

Royer’s Military Training Kicked In

Royer was driving his car over a crowded Centennial Bridge in Leavenworth when a man jumped out of his car and started randomly shooting at cars. Thankfully, this hero’s instincts took over and he quickly neutralized the threat,

“I was shocked that it was happening and the adrenaline took over and, with the military training that I’ve received, I took appropriate action and took out the threat.” Royer said. 

Shooting On Centennial Bridge

Three cars were struck with bullets from the bridge shooter. Another Fort Leavenworth soldier was shot. When seconds matter, Royer stepped up and handed the situation. 

Royer was on the phone with his fiancé, Haley Siela, over a bluetooth device when the shooting started. He asked her to call 911 and let the police know there was an active shooter on the bridge.

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FROM KMBC: 

Royer intervened by striking the shooter with a “brand new truck,” ending the encounter with the active shooter by pinning him underneath his truck.

“After I hit the suspect, I couldn’t see him out in front of my truck, so I did not know what to think,” Royer said. “I didn’t know where he was at, so I put my truck in park and quickly got out of the vehicle, looking out in front of my truck to see if I could find him and make sure I neutralized the situation immediately.

“I went around the other side of the vehicle I saw the rifle that he was using laying on the ground. So, then I assumed that he was not a threat anymore. And my objective was just to find him, so I just crouched down, looked under my truck, I saw that he was pinned under my truck and injured.”

“Let’s be crystal clear, his actions yesterday were absolutely heroic,” Leavenworth Police Chief Patrick Kitchens told the media. “He saved countless lives. There were people on that bridge that were innocent bystanders just traveling, there were KDOT workers on that bridge. He saved all of those people’s lives. His actions are extraordinary.”

When police arrived on the scene, they initially believed this to be a case of road rage. It didn’t take long for them to discover this was a mass shooting scenario that was stopped by a 15-year member of our military. 

RELATED: REPORT: Walmart Shooter Stopped By Concealed Carry Holder

Right Place, Right Time

Here’s a detailed video about the shooting:

Royer is no stranger to stressful situations. He has been put in them multiple times over the course of his career.

He even served at Guantanamo Bay. This is a case of the right man being at the right place at the right time. Master Sergeant Royer is a hero. 

His interview is in the video below.