Remember​ the Name: Kendrick Castillo

It seemed to be an ordinary day at school. Kendrick Castillo, an eighteen-year-old high school senior, was watching The Princess Bride in his British literature class when a shooter pulled out a gun and demanded that no one move. Kendrick was about one foot away from the shooter and lunged at him. After Kendrick lunged at the shooter, two other students tackled and subdued the shooter while the rest of the class fled. Kendrick was shot twice. He did not survive. He was a mere 8 days from graduating high school.

One of the other students who also engaged the shooter, Joshua Jones, was shot in the leg and hip. Joshua is recovering from his injuries. Brendan Bialy, a member of the Marine Corps delayed entry program, also engaged the shooter and was unharmed. Brendan provided first aid to Kendrick to no avail.*

Friends of Kendrick remark on his kindness to his peers. He was particulary gracious to those who were new or needed help. By all accounts, Kendrick was a person of upstanding character. His character was fully demonstrated in his last moments when he engaged the shooter. His fearless sacrifice enabled others to live.

C. S. Lewis once said, “We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. . . .” In a society where honor and self-sacrifice seem missing, where entitlement and near narscissm are ingrained into our young, Kendrick was an exception. Kendrick was at an age when no one would have judged him for being fearful. No one would have scoffed if he had recoiled from the attack. Kendrick, however, was aware of the danger and acted anyway. His actions, along with the others who engaged the shooter, saved lives. Kendrick was a person of virture and fortitude.

Jesus said, “No greater love has anyone than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Kendrick’s peers know that they likely survived the dreadful day because of his actions. He laid down his life so that others may live.

For some reason, we tend to remember those who perpertrate evil. We can readily call names like Stephen Paddock, Seung-Hui Cho, Adam Lanza, Eric Harris, and Dylan Klebold. There are television specials about Ted Bundy and Jeffrey MacDonald. Those names, however, are not the ones we should remember. Evil is ubiquitious. Virtue is special. We should make a point to remember and celebrate virtue.

Remember the name: Kendrick Castillo. He gave his life so that others could live.

Remeber also Brendan Bialy and Joshua Jones. These young men acted with courage to save their peers at great risk to themselves.

Thank God that there are people with courage motivated by love. Our world is better because of them.

*There are conflicting media reports on how many students other than Kendrick engaged the shooter. Some outlets report three total students, and others report Kendrick and three other students. If there is another student who engaged the shooter, the name is, sadly, not in the public reports I have seen.