A Marine recruit was among those who credited with saving many lives during a school shooting by rushing towards the gunman.
Brendan Bialy, a senior who enlisted into the Marine Corps Delayed Entry Program, Kendrick Castillo, 18, and another student rushed the shooter at the STEM School Highlands Ranch in Colorado in an attempt to disarm him. Castillo was shot and later died.
The school’s armed security guard was also credited for his “instrumental” work in helping stop the shooter, but it was the actions of the three students that drew most attention.
Describing a “very wild couple of days,” Bialy said that Castillo “died a legend.” He said: “He died a trooper. He got his ticket to Valhalla, and I know he will be with me for the rest of my life. Seriously, I love that kid.”
Bialy said he was “more than lucky” to be able to thwart the gunman and disarm him. “Someone entered the building with incredibly malicious intent using their cowardice … they completely and utterly lost to good people.”
He added: “There was no questioning. There was no hesitation. There was no looking around. It was threat noticed, action time, try to physically get in the way,” Bialy explained, adding that shots were fired over the course of the skirmish. Baily said the gunman “didn’t know what the hell hit him.”
The 8th District Marines, Marine Corps Recruiting Command said in a statement: “Brendan’s courage and commitment to swiftly ending this tragic incident at the risk of his own safety is admirable and inspiring. His decisive actions resulted in the safety and protection of his teachers and fellow classmates.”
A video of Bialy taking the oath of enlistment in July 2018 appears on his Instagram account.
In another post from February, Bialy was given the recruiting substation’s “Ironman Award” for achieving the highest overall score for initial strength test, which recruits must pass in order to start boot camp, which Bialy is due to join this summer.
Eight other students were wounded in the shooting.
