From a distance of nearly 3,000 miles away, Danielle Donnelly in Roanoke Rapids prevented a tragedy in Napavine, Washington — a potential mass shooting — Roanoke Rapids police Chief Shane Guyant told the city council Tuesday.

Her actions on October 12 of last year occurred as she was having a conversation with a childhood friend, someone she had known for many years, Guyant said. “This gentleman was going through some tough times and was having some mental health issues at the time. He had made a statement to her was tired of this. He had 150 rounds of ammunition — he was going to do a mass shooting.”

Said Guyant: “Keep in mind how many mass shootings have we seen in the news over the past few years and how you wonder wouldn’t it be nice if somebody stepped up and said something.”

• Click to open image! Click to open image!
• Click to open image! Click to open image!
• Click to open image! Click to open image!
•  

Referring to Donnelly, Guyant said, “We’ve got one right here in our own city. Ms. Donnelly called the police department and spoke to Captain (Jeff) Baggett. Captain Baggett listened to her statement and he called the police chief in Napavine, Washington.”

Napavine police went to an address and confronted Donnelly’s friend. “In the conversation (police) verified he had ammunition and he had a means to do what he said he was going to do.”

Guyant said Napavine police also found writing within the house that supported the fact he was going to do what he said he was going to do. “Ms. Donnelly intervened and saved lives that day. She is a lifesaver.”

The police chief said Donnelly is the epitome of what former President Theodore Roosevelt was talking about when he gave his 1910 Citizenship in a Republic speech at the Sorbonne in Paris.

“I can’t tell you how proud I am for her doing this because we talk all the time in my line of work about if you see something, say something, get involved, call Crimestoppers, do this, do that and how rarely that actually happens.”

But, he said, “You have a situation before you right here in little old Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina where one of your citizens stepped up, did the right thing and saved lives.”

Guyant told Donnelly he was proud to know her. “I wanted to take this opportunity to publicly thank you for this. Thank you for stepping up and doing what a citizen is supposed to do. You’re the epitome of citizenship.”

The police chief presented Donnelly a framed copy of a portion of Roosevelt’s speech which is referred to as The Man in the Arena. “I want you to read it. I want you to understand you are this. You got involved — something we beg people to do all the time and they rarely ever do it.”

Following the meeting she said, “People should do the right thing. It doesn’t hurt nothing to do the right thing.”

Donnelly said she believes her friend is currently getting the help he needs.

She said she had a heads-up that Guyant was going to make the presentation. “Even with heads-up I was blown away.”