2 Injured in Colo. Middle School Shooting

(AP)  Last updated at 10:57 p.m. EST

A teacher tackled a man armed with a high-powered rifle just after two teenage students were shot Tuesday at a suburban Denver middle school that's just miles from Columbine High School, the site of one of the nation's deadliest school shootings, authorities said.

One male and one female were shot at about 3:30 p.m. outside Deer Creek Middle School in Littleton, Jefferson County Sheriff's office spokeswoman Jacki Kelley said. Both students were taken to a nearby hospital and were expected to survive.

Student Steven Seagraves said he was about 10 feet away when an adult approached students and asked them: "Do you guys go to this school?"

When the students said they did, he shot them, Seagraves said.

Seventh-grade math teacher David Benke, a 6-foot-5 inch former college basketball player who oversees the school's track team, tackled the suspect as he was trying to reload his weapon.

"He was trying to rack another round. He couldn't get another round in before I got to him so I grabbed him," Benke said, recalling that he didn't have time to fear for his life.

Benke's wife said her husband called her after the shooting.

"He said there was a shooting and that he had to tackle the gunman," Sandra Benke said. She said her husband was upset that he couldn't reach the shooter before two rounds were fired. "He said 'It was one of my students."'

Authorities haven't released the victims' names, but say they both had surgery Tuesday evening.

Bus driver Steve Potter said he was about to pull away from the school with a full bus when he heard a loud bang that sounded like an M-80 firecracker. Students screamed when they spotted the man with a rifle, Potter told KMGH-TV.

"He looked like he was just kind of looking around for someone to shoot," he said.

Potter said he saw Benke grab the suspect so he and another man jumped on the gunman and helped hold him until police arrived.

"He's the real hero," Potter said of Benke. "All the credit goes to him."

The suspect's name hasn't been released, but authorities say he's 32 and that he doesn't appear to have any connection to the school. He's expected to make his first court appearance Wednesday morning and may face at least two counts of attempted murder.

Kevin Zwolinski, another student, said he had just boarded a school bus when he heard two shots and saw one of the victims fall to the ground.

"I thought it could have been like a tire might have been popped, but as soon as I turned around and saw everyone running I knew it was a gun," he said.

Zwolinski said everyone on the bus was told to lie silently on the floor until authorities arrived.

The school is about three miles southwest of Columbine High School, where two teens - Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris - killed 12 students and a teacher and wounded 23 others before killing themselves in 1999.

The middle school was temporarily locked down with about 30 students in the building. They were eventually taken to a nearby elementary school, where they were to meet up with their parents.

Students' parents were alerted through text messages, phone calls and e-mails, Jefferson County Schools spokeswoman Melissa Reeves said.

Kelley said authorities don't yet have a motive for the shootings.

"Why this school, why this happened, why these students, we don't have any of those answers yet," she said.

[rockcutr]

What is really wrong in this part of Colorado? One incident of murder and stupid crazy behavior is beyond comprehension. Two times....a pitiful trend.
What ever it is, might cause remaining clear thinking folks to abandon this entire area of Colorado. Move to South Dakota. They have mountains too.

[JV1970]

I thank God for David Benke and all teachers like him! We need more of them! A dear friend of mine is a teacher at that school. I thank God she was not harmed!

[Obamabinbiden]

Americans need to pick up their weapons and defend themselves from maggots like this idiot! Expecting politicians to pass legislation to protect you is the most ignorant thing I hear!! I am sure the idiot that pulled the trigger would have left his weapon at home had there been a law against it... duh!!!! America is such a bunch of panty waste whiners anymore it is sad.... The Gym Teacher is a hero, but some of the people on here crack me up!!!! Please protect me!! Grow some Nuggets and exercise your rights and bear arms and protect our country!

[ibzjem]

Oh yeah. Let all students and teachers carry guns to school. That's a brilliant idea!

[ibzjem]

Remember Maurice Clemmons killed 4 armed and trained police officers in Parkland Washington on Nov. 29, 2009. And remember the Fort Hood shooting that took place on an Army base. Having everyone armed is not going to help.

[newsterl]

Kelley said authorities don't yet have a motive for the shootings. "

Who needs a motive any more anyway.

Time for HOME schooling via the web classroom and doing away with these massively expensive schools

[bill0bob]

Once again, guns are used for OFFENSE, not defense. Guns are for murder, nothing else. If you have a gun, who are YOU planning to murder?

The NRA keeps telling people they need to get guns to "protect themselves". But, every single day in the USA, 80 people are killed with guns, and almost NEVER does anyone get protected with those guns. The imbeciles who join the NRA all claim they need those guns for "defense" but they never actually defend anyone. (Sure, they all like to tell STORIES about how they "defended themselves without firing a shot". That's just BS to make themselves feel all "powerful".)

When a bullet is headed your way, IT'S TOO LATE to take out your gun to "defend yourself". If there is no bullet headed your way, then YOU DON'T NEED a gun at all. Real self defense is knowing where to be or not to be so you don't get shot. Real self defense is not making enemies so nobody even wants to hurt you. Real self defense takes intelligence, planning, foresight, bravery, and maybe even some martial arts. But real self defense does NOT need guns.

We have too many guns in this country. We have too many angry, frustrated, whack jobs in this country. The result is a foregone conclusion. We need to get rid of at least one side of this equation or more people are going to die needlessly.

A big thanks to David Benke and the other teachers who acted responsibly to save their kids, without pulling out any guns!

[ibsteve2u]

"When a bullet is headed your way, IT'S TOO LATE to take out your gun to "defend yourself". If there is no bullet headed your way, then YOU DON'T NEED a gun at all."

What a simplification. If somebody breaks into your house and starts stabbing your kids with a knife, does your argument still hold true?

Been a lot of people just stabbed to death in their homes....I'll bring up just the most infamous, to save everybody the trouble of looking them up: The Tate/LaBianca murders.

Besides, the way the right is going, even liberals may need a gun before long...

[squeakof2006]

Wow, this is nuts. Last week, a university shooting, now a middle school shooting. Something has to be done. We have to stop this. I don't know how, but something has to change to protect America's students.

[GetAGrip007]

David Benke is a true HERO!!!

[lilbear925]

Well, a metal detector would apparently not have prevented this (in response to dsnj1-2009) since the attack took place out near the street where the kids were boarding the bus. Parents are already sick over the danger of sending their kids off every day, so why do you assume parents don't care? Do you know something we don't? School shootings don't necessarily happen on a weekly basis, so it is apparent you clearly don't really understand the situation. Maybe you should go discuss it with your local constabulary.

[gearhead1000]

Thank God that these heroic teachers acted the way they did so quickly! David Benke is the man!

[dsnj1-2009]

Yes, another parent's son and another daughter are injured. When will parents start to get sick over their kids getting shot at school? It seems like this happens every week and no changes are made. Almost seems like parents don't care. Why don't people press for metal detectors at school at least?

[writer10]

"Every week?" not so much - "parents sick" over sending their kids to school? everyday - especially in Colorado - the 'home' of the FREAKS klebold and Harris as well as the parents who had NO clue as to what they were doing, what they did day to day and why they 'ended it all'...2 words to your pathetic 'legacy' you left for our great state AND to the parents who've not said a friggin word about it aside from "derr...we dunno what happened!' - F...YOU! "parent's don't care?" not a true story and not to attempt to portray "captain obvious' but they were shot outside the school - metal detectors would have done...what...just like the various shootings that take place 'outside' the facility by the same pathetic COWARDLY L-O-S-E-R-S as Klebold and Harris who have L-O-S-E-R followers cause they refuse to fit in - and this guy is an adult living middle school over again? It's not that they 'can't' fit in...it's that they 'won't'...nothing but a bunch of crybaby, nobody accepts me for my freakish nature B.S...We in Colorado are sick of it and I hope you get sent to Supermax you pathetic FREAK...homeschooling is not only an 'option' anymore, it's necessary to keep your kids safe from the screwed up masses who could care less.

[commonmary]

Again, a metal detector would not have done any good provided the "attacks" were apparently not inside the building. Also, metal detectors, maintaining them, having a guard near them 24/7 is expensive and people already complain about taxes.
Does anyone know if this is a public or private school?