Lawrence Adams doesn't want to be called a hero, but many in Seattle are saying that's just what he is.
As The Seattle Times reports this morning, police believe Adams saved the lives of at least three people on Wednesday when he picked up a stool at a cafe and threw it at a gunman who killed four people there. Adams' action distracted the gunman, identified as Ian Stawicki, and allowed Adams and some others to escape.
The 56-year-old Adams, who says he lost a brother at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, told the Times that "I just threw the frigging stool at him, legs first." But the real hero, he believes, is barista Leonard Meuse who was shot several times but was able to call police. Meuse is hospitalized.
Of Meuse, Adams told the Times that "he had the presence of mind as the captain of the ship to do his job. He just kept doing his job. ... Everyone should be thinking about Leonard. We have to put all our energy into him."
Authorities say Stawicki, whose family says suffered from mental problems, killed one more person at a nearby parking lot before killing himself as police approached.
Related news from our colleagues at KPLU: "Seattle 911 tapes of Seattle shootings: 'People are bleeding all over.' "
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