Washington teacher hailed as hero after tackling teen during school shooting speaks out

LACEY, WA -- In the moments after a 16-year-old boy fired two gunshots in a Washington state high school and walked toward a commons area where students were gathering before class - a couple of things went right.

A teacher raced toward the boy, grabbing him and taking him to the ground to keep him from firing again. Brady Olson's quick action may also have spared the student's life, since a school police officer says he was just a step away from having a clear shot at the teen.

Olson says his first thought was getting the gun away, and his second thought was for the shooter's well-being.

"I had a conversation with him while I was lying on top of him. I told him we were going to get him some help," the government and civics teacher told a news conference Tuesday.

Bail was set at $500,000 for the boy being held in Thurston County in connection with Monday's shooting at North Thurston High School in Lacey, Washington, about 60 miles southwest of Seattle.

Juvenile Court Commissioner Lynn Hayes found probable cause for five proposed charges of theft of a firearm, felony harassment, possession of a dangerous weapon on school grounds, unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful discharge of a firearm, The Olympian newspaper reported. She authorized a 72-hour mental health hold, during which the boy will undergo a mental health evaluation.

The boy stole the .357 Magnum pistol from his father and brought it to school in a duffel bag, Senior Deputy Prosecutor Wayne Graham said. The gun was loaded with hollow-point bullets.

The boy, a recent transfer to the school, reportedly told detectives that he didn't intend to hurt any other students.

At the news conference, Olson said he had never seen the student before he heard a gun fired Monday morning and looked up to see the armed student walking down stairs into a cafeteria area where students had gathered before class.

Olson and several other school staff members, including the principal, raced toward the student after seeing the gun.

"I saw kids fleeing. It kind of fired me up to do something, and I did it," he said. "Rather than tackle him, I kind of enveloped him."

The school resource officer, Lacey police Officer Ed McClanahan, told KCPQ-TV that Olson grabbed the student just before he figured he would have had a clear shot.

The officer had initially decided not to shoot because nearly a dozen students were in the line of fire behind the gunman.

"Some were running, some were not sure what was happening," McClanahan said.

The officer said there's no question he would have pulled the trigger if he had a clear shot.

Olson "not only tackled him, but grabbed onto his right arm and he held it out - it was pretty impressive," McClanahan said. That allowed the officer to grab the gun. Then the teen turned to the officer with a question.

"He asked why I didn't shoot him," McClanahan said.

"I told him life is full of second chances, hopefully (you) get that help that you need and life becomes better for you in the future," the officer said.

Olson said he got there first because his legs were longer, but he maintains any of his colleagues would have done the exact same thing. He joked that maybe he should be portrayed as the dumb guy who didn't run away.

"I'm kind of a protective person. I was thinking about protecting my kids," he said. Although his daughter is a freshman at the school, he clarified that he wasn't thinking about his own family, but his students.

Olson has received emails from around the country commending him as a hero, but he said he just acted on instinct. Real heroes are people like his best friend who serves in the military and protects people every day, over and over again, he said.

A tall, broad-shouldered man wearing a purple school cap and jacket, Olson described himself as a history and war buff and said he easily recognized the kind of gun the student was carrying. He served several years in the military to earn money for college.

Olson said he has discussed active-shooter incidents with his wife and family and said he wouldn't know how he would react until he was there.

But his wife, an elementary school teacher, countered that assertion when she spoke at the news conference. "He said, 'If I'm close, I'm going for it'," said Shara Olson. "I just couldn't be more proud."

Her husband commended his community and his fellow educators, saying his school was filled with awesome teachers whose No. 1 concern is their students.

"I'm glad it turned out really, really well for everyone involved. Hopefully, we can learn some things from it and move forward," Olson said.

Olson released the following statement after the incident:

"I would like to say how happy I am that everyone is safe after today's incident. I would also like to take this opportunity to praise all the police agencies that were involved, especially our Student Resource Officer, (SRO) Ed McClanahan. All agencies responded quickly and acted with the utmost professionalism. Additionally, I would like to say thank you to an amazing staff here at North Thurston High School. From administrators to teachers, all reacted to a very intense situation with incredible tact and professionalism. No one, including myself, can prepare for a situation like this, so I'm very thankful that we're all okay. As always, students come first, and today was no different. I reacted in a way that any other teacher would react and at the sound of a gunshot had three other adults, including Tim Brown, Dean of Students, Principal Steve Rood, and Security Officer, Jim Beltico, going toward the sound of gun fire rather than away. We will all group together as a staff and community, like we always do, and continue to put kids first! North Thurston High School's staff handled this like every other staff in every city, in every state, across this country would. I'm incredibly proud to be a member of the bigger community of educators who teach and take care of our kids every day."