Kansas Soldier Rams Shooter, Saves Lives

A Fort Leavenworth soldier saved motorists from a rifle-wielding shooter by ramming him with his vehicle. No lives were lost in the incident.

Master Sergeant David Royer, a corrections officer stationed at Fort Leavenworth, was waiting to cross the Centennial Bridge into Missouri. Like most evenings, there was heavy traffic, and he was chatting with his wife on speakerphone. As he entered the bridge, he saw a man in front of him exited his vehicle and began firing a rifle at other cars.

“Assessed Very Quickly”

Few truly know how they would react in such a frightening incident. Royer let his training take the wheel. He told his wife Siela to call 911 and immediately hang up.

“I assessed the situation very quickly, looked around and just took the only action possible that I felt I could take,” Royer told media after the incident took place. “I accelerated my truck as quickly as possible and struck the active shooter and pinned him underneath my truck.”

The soldier then sought to ensure that the shooter was no longer a threat, and to see how severe his injuries were. In another show of valor and professionalism, he exited his vehicle. He saw the suspect underneath his truck and began life-saving procedures. As he recounts, law enforcement showed up soon after.

“It was a textbook response on their part,” said Royer of the Fort Leavenworth Police Department.

Training and Adrenaline

Thanks to Royer’s actions, no one was killed in the attempted mass shooting. One motorist and the gunman are hospitalized, both in stable condition. Royer credits his fast, effective response to fifteen years of military training, adrenaline, and a constant state of situational awareness.

“I was shocked that it was happening, but the adrenaline took over and with the military training that I’ve received, I took appropriate action and took out the threat as fast as possible. I didn’t imagine [the shooting] would happen in traffic, but it was always in the back of my mind because of how crazy things are in the world today.”

The soldier said his preparedness was not only a matter of a quick response, but constant awareness of how he would react to protect his family if such a danger presented itself. “I constantly think in places that [we’re] at, ‘What would I do?’… Where are the exit points if my children are with me, if my fiance is with me? How do I get them safe before I react?”

He Won’t Call Himself a Hero

It’s difficult to hear of what took place without considering David Royer a hero, unless you’re David Royer. When asked if he considered himself a hero, he said, “I don’t necessarily myself feel like I’m a hero… I feel as if most people in my situation would have done the same thing.”

Royer’s superior officers, local law enforcement, and his fiance all beg to differ.

Colonel Caronline Smith, Royer’s brigade commander, expressed pride. “I think Master Sergeant Royer did exactly what needed to happen in order to neutralize the threat. He had a split second to decide and he made a decision and he made the right decision.”

The Leavenworth Police Chief Pat Kitchens said, “He won’t call himself a hero, but I will. He saved countless lives… and he should be commended for that.”

His fiance said she could never have done what he did.

In summing his thoughts, the soldier said, “There are people all around the world that will do things like that, and I believe there is more good out there than there is bad. My life is worth something, but there are also many other lives out there, too.”

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