YAZOO, Miss. – Eighteen-year-old Kaleb Eulls has the makings of a superhero.
Like Superman’s alter-ego Clark Kent or Spiderman’s Peter Parker, Eulls has a quiet, unassuming nature. Aside from his towering stature, he goes almost unnoticed in a crowd, until there is the threat of danger. And then, like a hero, he springs into action, without a thought of injury to himself.
Kaleb, however, does not think of himself as a hero, even though he single-handedly saved the lives of more than 20 people last week.
“At this moment, I’m not phased by it,” Kaleb said. “People are saying that I saved lives and they’re calling me a hero. But I’ve always tried to be the best role model I could be.”
Sheriff Tommy Vaughan of the Yazoo County Sheriff’s Depart-ment is the first to admit that what Kaleb did last week was extraordinary.
“Kaleb is very humble,” Vaughan said. “He hardly ever says a word unless you ask him something. He’s a well-raised young man that did exactly what he needed to do without thinking of his own safety. He did what he did for others and not for him. And that’s something you don’t hear of very often.”
Vaughan is referring to an incident that occurred on Tuesday, Sept. 1, where a young girl brandished a loaded gun on a crowded school bus and held the students captive. (See sidebar)
Among the students on the bus were Kaleb and his three younger sisters. Kaleb tackled the girl to the floor and quickly disarmed the weapon.
Since then, Kaleb’s life has been a whirlwind of activity. Talk shows around the globe have been lining up to have him as a guest and he’s received at least three awards of commendation for his efforts. He has already appeared, via satellite, on the Today Show.
A senior at Yazoo County High School, Kaleb lives in Pickens with his mother and three younger sisters. As a local football star, Kaleb was heavily recruited by 11 colleges before accepting a full scholarship to attend Mississippi State next year.
Kaleb has a 3.5 to 3.7 grade point average and he plans to major in coaching and mathematical engineering. He has dreams of one day playing in the NFL, but he also has another career choice in mind as a “back up” if that doesn’t work out.
“Kaleb’s my buddy in a lot of ways,” Sheriff Vaughan said. “I’ve watched him play a lot of games and I know he’ll do good at State. And I look forward to sitting in my living room one day and watching him play pro ball. He’s the ‘cream of the crop’ real deal.”
Sheriff Vaughan said Kaleb’s mother, a single parent of five, should also be commended for her son’s heroic efforts.
“His mom really is a nice lady,” Vaughan said. “And if she hadn’t raised him so well, he might not be headed to State and he wouldn’t have done what he did on the bus. So, she did a fantastic job raising him.”
Kaleb’s mother, Ora Eulls, said it wasn’t easy raising five children alone, but she’s proud of the paths they’ve chosen in life.
“I truly believe that being a single mother and keeping my kids in school has influenced what they are now,” Eulls said. “I have an older daughter in college and I’ve always tried to boost them up to make something out of themselves. I’ve had to be their mother and their father and I’m proud of my kids,” she continued. “I look at my son and think that most guys his age are dead, in prison, headed to prison or in trouble and can’t get out. But not Kaleb. My girls could be out here bringing babies home and they’re not. So, I feel like I’m the lucky one and I thank God for that everyday.”
Eulls said she’s very proud of Kaleb, who averted what could have been a widespread tragedy for Yazoo County.
“When I saw him on T.V., it made me feel good,” she said. “But it really didn’t dawn on me until later that night that he could have lost his life trying to save others. He had three younger sisters on the bus and three cousins. And all the time he was saying he preferred if the girl shot him than anyone else. In fact, after my daughter woke him up, and he told her to stand behind him.” Kaleb said he did what simply ‘had to be done.’
“When I woke up and saw this girl pointing the gun, I was shocked and surprised,” Kaleb said. “The first thing that came to my mind was something had to be done. So I opened the emergency door and told everyone to get out. That was to get her focus off anything else she was focusing on and to put her focus on me.”
Kaleb said many of the students were screaming and quickly scrambled to exit the bus.
“She was still yelling and using profanity,” Kaleb said. “But most of the time, I had her attention. And when she glanced away or blinked or something, I lunged at her and grabbed the weapon. And I held it up and told the bus driver I had the gun.”
Security cameras on the bus confirm that after Kaleb tackled the girl, the two fell forward, and Kaleb then ran off the back of the bus and disarmed the weapon. The young girl followed demanding Kaleb return her gun.
“She knew she wasn’t getting that gun back,” Kaleb said. “My heart was calm and my body was calm, but my voice was a little shaky. But my mind was on how everyone else was feeling and what was going to happen afterward. I wondered how they were going to handle it.”
Sheriff Vaughan said the young girl with the gun had just transferred to Yazoo County High School this year, and Kaleb said he didn’t know her personally, and didn’t recall seeing her in school. But after this experience, he’s sure he acted correctly.
“I really don’t know if she would have hurt anyone,” he said. “To me, personally, she was angry. She sounded really angry. I don’t know what she would have done.”
Kaleb’s mom is just glad it’s over and her son is safe.
“Kaleb is just a good person,” she said. “A down to earth kind of person. I don’t even know how to put it into words. My 12-year old has Down’s Syndrome and she was at school crying when this happened because she thought something had happened to her brother. She’s very protective of him. But now that it’s over, I don’t think it’s really had a bad effect on Kaleb. He doesn’t really talk about it or all the things that have followed. He’s still just ordinary Kaleb.”
Be the first to comment