"Something had to be done," 71-year-old retired Army Col. Bill Badger told ABC-TV's Good Morning America today about his role in stopping the gunman who killed six people and wounded another 14 Saturday in Tucson, Ariz., at a community event held by Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.
We posted earlier about 61-year-old Patricia Maisch, who grabbed an ammunition magazine that the gunman was trying to get to.
Now there's more about the heroes on the scene. Badger told GMA that another man struck the shooter with a chair. That's when Badger grabbed him. The two men, with help from Maisch and another man, then held the attacker.
"When you seen an individual that shoots a 9-year-old girl ... something has to be done," Badger said. Among those killed was Christina Taylor Green, 9, president of the student council at Mesa Verde Elementary School.
Not all details of the bystanders' heroism are clear just yet. The Arizona Republichas identified a man named Roger Salzgeber as being the person who initially helped Badger hold the suspect down. That could mean Salzgeber is the man who hit the gunman with the chair. GMA says Salzgeber "isn't ready to comment on his role in stopping the gunman."
Another person who came running to the scene, Joseph Zamudio, helped hold the gunman.
The person arrested there, 22-year-old Jared Loughner of Tucson, is due in a Phoenix court later today.
Just a few moments ago at the White House, President Obama said the heroes are examples of "the best of America."
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