School Board Survivor Whacks Shooter with Purse

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The Florida school board member who used her large purse to try to disarm a gunman at a board meeting yesterday said on CBS' "The Early Show" that after she hit the shooter, she was afraid her life was over.

"My plan A was to try to get the gun away from him," Ginger Littleton, the only female member on the board of Bay City Schools in north Florida. "Unfortunately, because I'm probably not smarter than the average bear, I did not have a plan B."

She had been allowed to leave the board room, but sneaked back in behind the gunman. Littleton has said she saw it as the last opportunity to "divert him." Her effort failed, and the gunman cursed at her and pointed his gun at her, but didn't shoot her.

Clay Duke - who had been complaining about taxes and about his wife being fired - then shot from close range at the school superintendent.

No bullets hit anyone before a security guard shot the gunman, who then killed himself.

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The superintendent, Bill Husfelt, says he could "tell by the look in his eyes that this wasn't going to end well."

Littleton told "Early Show" anchor Harry Smith that she had to try and help because her fellow members of the school board were so vulnerable.

"Their shield was a three-ring binder and lethal weapon was a ballpoint pen. They were lined up like ducks in a pond. And this guy was very scary," Littleton said. "So, I could either leave and I knew something bad was going to happen. I could either leave and try to live with myself if it did, or go back and try to at least delay or divert until we could get some help."

Duke, a large, heavyset man in a dark pullover coat got angry and turned around. She fell to the floor as board members pleaded with her to stop. Duke pointed the gun at her head and said, "You stupid b----" but he didn't shoot her. She's not sure why.

"I think the 'you stupid' part, I thought at that point, probably, you're right. I was pretty stupid," Littleton told NBC's "Today" show early Wednesday.

After several minutes, video showed Duke slowly raising the gun and leveling it at Husfelt, who pleaded "Please don't, please don't."

Duke shot twice at Husfelt from about 8 feet away and squeezed off several more rounds before district security chief Mike Jones, a former police officer, bolted in. He exchanged gunfire with Duke and wounded him in the leg or side before Duke fatally shot himself, police Sgt. Jeff Becker said.

Somehow, no one else in the small board room was injured in the clash that lasted several minutes. Husfelt said at least two rounds lodged in the wall behind him.

[JoeyMM]

I must further comment...All the trying to "talk" with him obviously did not work. The security guard who shot him is the perfect example, he came, he shot him, done. He had a gun, he acted. He didn't try to "talk" to him by saying "please put your gun down sir". The security guard had gun, he acted. Ginger had a purse, she acted. There was no analyzing here. Just guts. That's what works.

[JoeyMM]

She is a hero. Its easy to sit in a computer chair and give long analysis as to what happened and what should have been done, what could have been done, and on and on.
Amazing how people suddenly become crime experts when they see a movie on their computers.
The bottom line is this, she could not live with herself if all those people were shot to death and she did nothing at all. So she acted. She showed guts.
This person had a gun. He was dangerous. No one knew what he was going to do regardless of how he was acting. Do you think you would be sitting there analyzing he demeanor while he is waving a gun around?
No, you would run for the door scared. Ginger came back to protect her colleagues without regard for her own fear and safety because he could have just shot all those people dead sitting in their chairs. How do you know what the effect her action did to the shooter? You don't. It might have subtlety changed the whole course of events afterword's just enough to save their lives. You have no clue what was going through this nuts head before and after Ginger's action.
She acted. That is the important thing. We need to start acting against these lunatics trying to "go out with a bang" and putting peoples lives in jeopardy while doing it or taking them with them.
We need more people like Ginger in the country with the guts to fight back.

[flordygirl2]

Ginger and I worked on a couple of projects for my students back in the early part of the decade. She's quite the gal. I am SOOOOOO proud of her. Life is all about being out there and living with no regrets. She manifested that. I hope everyone will seriously evaluate what happened here. This was no silent protest but an outward expression - an all in move. Now it's time to append classroom and business displays of brave Americans - in addition to all the military servicemen you already may have up there. Way to go my friend!

[Cru09]

Spray painting a V? Who's this named fella think he is? Anon? lulz.

[JoeyMM]

This woman deserves the congressional medal of honor. She was selfless and was only concerned about her fellow Americans who were in danger. She stood up to great danger to help others have a chance to survive.
Ginger, you are great, you are not stupid. You are brave. You tried to save others live. That in my book is a HERO.

[meatkins]

She is not a hero. What she did was extremely dangerous. Consider this, why would a woman her age try to fight a man twice her size. Not only did she give a weak attempt at swinging at the gun with her purse, but she then she tried to wrestle the gun away from him? Is that really rational? There is a reason why the Superintendent handled the situation the way he handled it and there is a reason why law enforcement is trained to handle matters such as these. She escalated a situation that could have possibly angered the shooter even more. Her heart was in the right place, but her head was not. She should have used that opportunity to get the proper authorities and step aside. To say this woman is a hero is ridiculous. If anyone is a hero besides the security guard, it would be the Superintendent. He was very calm and diffused the situation long enough to allow the proper people to come.

[tsigili]

Either the guy was a lousy shot, or he wasn't really trying to hurt anyone.

[chris87654]

I thought of that two - it looked like he moved the gun left before the first shot - second went off in the floor, looked like accident (light trigger). Hard to think he was that bad of a shot, but maybe so. Too many nutcases out there. I read his wife was staying elsewhere (with her mother?) some distance away from this guy.

That woman was brave, but not so smart. She used her instincts but I'd have looked for something heavy behind the stage to hit him (though maybe I wouldn't have the guts to try it...). Wish she'd have had a gun in that purse and shot the guy.

[wce95]

I have to agree. I guess it's possible that he was so upset that he couldn't aim straight, but the fact that he remained calm enough to refrain from shooting Ginger tells me otherwise.

He was only between 10 and 15 feet away from his target -- close enough to point blank that he it's more likely that he was firing a "shot over the bow" rather than trying to kill somebody. I think he was just hoping for somebody to give him a "way out".

[JV1970]

If there's a medal for bravery that is given to civilians this woman deserves it along with the school board superintendent and the security guard. They faced danger and didn't run and probably saved many lives.

[chris87654]

Yeah, the superintendent did good - keeping calm and talking to the guy - delayed until security guard got there.

[Harden_Tar]

Although not the smartest move in the world, what this little lady did speaks to where Americans are now when it comes to dealing with threats. We are not going to stand for crap like this anymore. When some wacko stands up on an airplane, in a mall, at work, etc, people are going to start attacking and not cower in the corner like these crazies want. Some people might get hurt, but some nut jobs are going to get their butt kicked.

[mecury69]

Bravest woman alive. Could not sit back and let this maniac shot her friends.

[thebob-bob]

Hey! Sometimes a 'real American' has to exercise his 2nd amendment right and fight tyranny. Now if everyone in the room was armed they all could have had a good 'ol time handing out Justice.

[miami_don]

This is Florida - I'm surprised they weren't armed but I am amazed that you think a gun fight at a school board meeting would be a good thing.

Do ya get up in the morning and strap on your six gun to go to work? People thinking like you are the reason there should be gun control - itchy trigger fingers.

I truly believe that people who have not hunted, killed, and eaten what they shot should not be allowed to own a gun (excluding combat vets). Because until they have killed they no understanding what happens with the bullet they shot.