The Platte County man accused of trying to kick off a mass shooting on the Centennial Bridge between Leavenworth, Kan. and Platte County in 2020 pleaded no contest in Leavenworth court last week.
Jason Westrem, 39, of Houston Lake, pleaded no contest Wednesday, May 11 to attempted first degree murder for the incident nearly two years ago. Sentencing is scheduled for Wednesday, June 15.
On Wednesday, May 27, 2020, Westrem was stuck in lunchtime construction traffic on the Centennial Bridge. He opened fire through his vehicle’s windshield with a handgun, then got out and retrieved an AR-style rifle from his truck, discharging the rifle into traffic at least 20 times.
The potential tragedy was stopped, after only one victim was shot, by another Platte County resident, Master Sergeant David Royer of Platte City, who was leaving work at Fort Leavenworth when he saw Westrem open fire. Royer struck Westrem with his truck, keeping him pinned until law enforcement could arrive at the scene.