This story apparently hasn't shown up on the Trains Newswire yet, and I think it's one everyone needs to hear.
This appeared in a magazine called The Week, in the September 20, 2013 issue, on page two, in the weekly column "It Wasn't All Bad". I give you the piece verbatim:
A father and his severely autistic son helped foil a potential gun massacre in Dearborn, Michigan. Doug Berry, 58, often takes his son Patrick to an Amtrak station to watch the trains, a pastime Patrick finds soothing. But last week, Doug spotted an armed man lurking outside the nearby police station, and alerted authorities. Police later said the man had planned to open fire. Patrick wasn't aware of what happened, but Doug credited his role in stopping the bloodshed. "Because my son has autism, I was in the right place at the right time," he said. "Happy Ending."
Personally, I would also credit the local Amtrak authorities for leaving this guy the hell alone and allowing him to stand on the platform and watch trains despite not having a train ticket.
I'm keeping a copy of this one in my camera bag.
Nice!!!
Great story, and it proves what railfans have been saying for years, you want all the eyes along the line you can get!
The icing on the cake would be if a railfan or two prevents a "Suicide by Train". There's a lot of that going on in New Jersey lately, just terrrible.
A link to another version of the story with an interview.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/09/09/hero-foils-gunman-plot-to-shoot-police/2784955/
Thanks, that link gives us a lot more into. I thought maybe the magazine might be overstating it a bit when they used the word massacre, but apparently not. This guy had a lot of firepower. Thank God he was spotted.
I hope the city gives the man a nice plaque or something.
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.