[caption id=”attachment_150980″ align=”aligncenter” width=”3432″]In this Oct. 15, 2015 photo, James Vernon, 75, sits at his home in Morton, Ill. Vernon, an army veteran, is recovering from injuries suffered when he fought off a knife-wielding man who threatened children at a central Illinois library. (Robert Downen / Pekin Daily Times, via AP)
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James Vernon, a 75-year old Army veteran, is quite the hero. While teaching chess at the Morton Library on Tuesday, Vernon saved 16 children, ages 7-13, from Dustin Brown, 19, who entered the room wielding two knives.
The Pekin Daily Times reported that Vernon is recovering from surgery. As Vernon avoided Brown’s knife swipe, Brown cut two arteries and a tendon in his left hand.
Vernon prevented Brown from killing the children because Vernon kept his cool. He tried to talk to Brown, which distracted him and allowed the children to hide under the tables, and then were able to safely leave when Vernon gave them the signal.
The Army veteran was also able to use the knife-fight training he learned from the Army several decades ago.
Despite his wounds, Vernon was able to hold Brown down on a table until police and paramedics arrived.
Brown had entered yelling “I’m going to kill some people,” though children were his specific target. Brown committed Tuesday’s crime while being out on bond for 22 child pornography charges filed against him on March, for which he is due back in court for on Monday.
He is also now being charged with attempted murder, armed violence, aggravated battery to a person over age 60 and burglary for his intent to commit a crime at the library. He being held on $800,000 bond pending a Nov. 5 hearing.
