Dixon, Illinois School Shooting Averted by Armed Resource Officer

It’s days like today where reporters get lumps in their throats. News recently broke of yet another high school shooting, this time in Dixon, Illinois. However, unlike the myriad of other bloody stories on the topic, this story didn’t have the depressing and graphic ending that was expected thanks to the actions of one heroic armed school resource officer.

THE SHOOTING

Early Tuesday morning at around 8:00 AM CST, the school day at Dixon High School, which is about 100 miles West of Chicago, had just begun. Kids were beginning their classes and faculty were beginning their work days, but one young man, 19-year-old Matt Milby was planning to not only stop this normal day dead in its tracks, he was planning on going down in graphic history.

Milby had been a student at Dixon High until he was recently expelled, and, while it is unclear if these are the reasons behind his actions, it is clear that this was a sick young man who wanted to cause chaos and death.

Milby entered the school’s gymnasium, which at the time was filled with students practicing for their upcoming graduation. Milby was armed with a firearm and was willing to use it. However, this was not meant to be thanks to Mark Dallas, a school resource officer who was on the scene and also armed.

Milby saw that Dallas was his one obstacle to starting a bloody massacre in the gym, so Dallas became his first target.

Shots rang out in the gym as children and faculty both panicked. Dallas was able to pull his firearm and was then forced to enter a shootout with Milby.

In the firefight, Officer Dallas was injured by one of Milby’s rounds, but this was not enough to put down Dallas who still managed to fire shots off, one of which struck Milby injuring him and allowing Dallas the time to get over and disarm the former Dixon High student.

THE AFTERMATH

Following the shootout, more police quickly arrived on the scene to take Milby to the hospital, where his non-life threatening wounds would be treated before taking the young man to jail.

As for Officer Dallas, his wounds are also not thought to be life-threatening.

The mood around the school is currently that of shock, but gratitude towards Officer Dallas’s deeds. Thanks to the actions of this well-armed, well-trained man–all of these children will be able to walk to graduation.

What do you think of this story? Does this go to show you how good it can be to have an armed officer at a school as a deterrent to these terrible acts of violence? Let us know in the comments below.