In Fear's Grip, They Nonetheless Acted
SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA
Mike, a counselor at the San Mateo County Receiving Home — a temporary residence for abused and troubled teenagers — heard a strange noise in the hallway and asked fellow counselor Gabe if any of the youths had gone outside. But all eight were accounted for. Mike looked again. "That's when I saw the gunman coming down the hall."
From that moment forward, on the evening of May 1, time slowed to a crawl for the two AFSCME members, plus a cook (Gabe's brother, Gary) and the terrified juveniles in their care. (To protect them from possible reprisal, the individuals involved have not been fully identified.)
As the masked intruder entered the room, toting a large handgun, all knew their lives hung in the balance. What these men did in the agonizing minutes to come would make them heroes.
Mike and Gabe, who are both members of Local 829 (Council 57), and Gary, who six months before had been hired as cook, were preparing to serve dinner when the intruder and his partner entered. They said they planned to kill a young female resident (who luckily was not there at the time).
One gunman pointed his weapon at Mike, 33, who fell backward into the kitchen where the other two men and residents were gathered. All were ordered to lie on the floor. Mike, on his knees with arms raised, was kicked in the head and back until he, too, was sprawled on the floor — and nearly senseless.
Gabe, 31, had thoughts of the Columbine school shooting. His brother worried that his two young children and wife would never see him again. Mike thought, "We can lose our lives today."
Once it was apparent that the intended target was not among the group, the gunman ordered his captives to loudly and slowly count to 100 while both searched in and around the house. "He said if he heard anybody stop, he'd come back and kill us," says Mike. "I started thinking, what's going to happen after 100?"
Gabe thought farther ahead. Knowing that Mike's truck was parked out the back door, he whispered, "Let's just make a run for it."
Mike managed to close the kitchen door, which made a loud noise as it clicked shut. Hoping their loud counting masked the noise, Gabe started pulling the youngsters one at a time from under the tables and, with the coast clear, began to escort them outside: "Then I saw the doorknob shake."
The gunman struggled with the now-closed kitchen door as the juveniles and their caretakers ran to the truck. In his haste, and still woozy from the beating, Mike tripped over some chairs and landed on his head. Gary came to his aid, and they made it to the truck. As they drove away, one of the kids saw the gunman watching them through the window.
They drove to the police, who launched a search for the suspects. As this story went to press, the authorities were still searching. None of the employees — shaken and fearful — had returned to work, and the residents had moved to a secret location.
The harrowing experience has changed them all. "After something like this happens, you're never the same," explains Mike, who adds that he doesn't feel like a hero. "I'm feeling like a victim."
Since the incident, Gabe says, "my heart doesn't feel easy." Gary says he's "glad all the kids came out unharmed. And I'm just glad to be alive today."
