‘Hero’ student disarms gunman with pepper spray

A student pepper-sprayed a lone gunman who had already killed one man at a US university while he paused to reload, helping to prevent more deaths, police have said.

A 19-year-old man was fatally shot and two other young people were wounded after the gunman opened fire in the foyer of Otto Miller Hall in Seattle Pacific University.

When the gunman paused to reload his shotgun, he was pepper-sprayed, and a student building monitor disarmed him while other students helped pin him to the floor.

“There are a number of heroes in this,” Assistant Police Chief Paul McDonagh said. “The people around him (the gunman) stepped up.”

The gunman had additional rounds and a knife, Mr McDonagh said.

The man in custody, named as Aaron R Ybarra, 26, was not a student at the school, Mr McDonagh told a news conference.

Four people, including the young man who died, were taken to Harborview Medical Centre.

A critically wounded 19-year-old woman was in intensive care after five hours in surgery, hospital spokeswoman Susan Gregg said.

A 24-year-old man was in a satisfactory condition after being taken to hospital.

A Seattle Fire Department official said that the man suffered “pellet type wounds” to his neck and chest.

A 22-year-old man was treated and released, Ms Gregg said. Police said he suffered minor injuries during the struggle with the suspect.

None of the victims was immediately identified.