A 75-year-old chess instructor who fought off a knife-wielding man threatening to kill children at a central Illinois library say this week’s attack will not stop his class from holding its next meeting.
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Despite having weak knees, a bad shoulder and high blood pressure, Vernon said he was able to overcome Brown and flip him onto a conference table. “I hit him on the right collarbone with my closed hand”.
Acting fast, Mr Vernon grabbed hold of Brown and threw him on to a table before pinning him down.
“I’m going to kill a few people”, bellowed 19-year-old Dustin Brown while wielding two five-inch hunting knives that had been modified with duct tape for increased grip. Brown stood there making shallow cuts in his own left arm. “I knew which hand it was coming from”. “There was no more talking”, but Vernon’s sharp eye and even sharper mind quickly assessed Brown’s next move and probable attack.
It’s rare than an attempted mass-killing results in a triumphant happy ending, but that’s exactly what happened at an Illinois library this week thanks to the heroic efforts of an elderly veteran.
‘I should have hit his wrist.
Fifty years ago, during his World War II training, Vernon was trained in knife fighting. Vernon recalls that it was done to intimidate and scare him and Vernon admitted that the ploy by Brown had worked.
Brown slashed at Vernon from the right, and Vernon blocked him with his left hand. He remarked that the incident would have been an entirely different story had the suspect brought a gun with him instead of a knife.
“I failed my mission to kill everyone”, Brown reportedly told police after his arrest. Meanwhile, Vernon had surgery for his tendon for blocking the knife with his left hand and two cut arteries, according to The Washington Times.
Though Vernon is being rightfully hailed as a hero, he’s just trying to get things back to normal, like any true mensch.
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Brown, who was out on bail for child pornography charges, faces charges of attempted murder, armed violence, and aggravated battery, the Chicago Tribune reports. Vernon, who was bleeding intensely, held Brown down until a library employee arrived to remove the knives and help keep Brown down until police officers and paramedics arrived.
