Armed citizen kills shooter who opened fire in packed Oklahoma restaurant
An armed passerby shot dead a gunman who had opened fire in a packed eatery in Oklahoma which left a woman and two children wounded.
According to Daily Mail, the shooter, a white male, was wearing eye gear and ear protection at the time of the shooting. He was later confronted by a person standing outside the restaurant when he attempted to flee the place and was later shot dead in the process.
Police Captain Bo Matthews, while talking to reporters, later said that the shooter was the only person killed in the shooting and added that the armed civilian present at the scene was a "blessing." Officials on Thursday said they have no reason to believe that the incident was associated with terrorism. The motive of the shooter, however, was not yet clear.
The shooter, who has not yet been identified, reportedly opened fire inside Louie's Grill and Bar about 6.30pm. It appeared to be a random act of shooting.
The incident wounded Natalie Will, a mother of two children, and her 12-year-old daughter Syniah as they were walking inside for Will's eldest daughter Shayla's 14th birthday celebrations. Reports state that another 14-year-old girl named Alex, who is Shayla's best friend, was also shot in the incident.
Will was shot in the arm, while her daughter was shot in her tailbone, however, the bullet traveled to her stomach, according to the Daily Mail.
Will's sister, Leslie, on Facebook later announced that both were in a stable condition and that the 12-year-old was taken into a surgery which reportedly "went well." Alex's condition is not known, although reports state that she is scheduled to have a surgery on Friday
"Natalie was shot in the arm and is going to be fine. My niece suffered a more severe gunshot wound to her hip near the tailbone and bullet tracked into her stomach," she wrote.
"She had surgery and it went well she is doing well. I just can't wrap my head around this evil in our world. My sister is one of the best mothers and sweetest people I've ever known. Her daughters are amazing kids. It's heart wrenching to know they had to deal that level of fear. Especially while out celebrating my other niece's birthday," she added.
With this tweet the NRA was also taking a shot at Governor Mary Fallin recently vetoed a bill that would have made Oklahoma the 13th state to let residents carry guns without a permit. "I believe the firearms laws we currently have in place are effective, appropriate and minimal," she had said. The NRA had been disappointed that Fallin chose to veto the Bill and they are using this incident to say she was wrong in doing so.
Syniah's father, Jabari Giles, also released a statement, saying that his daughter had no long-term damage from the bullet and told his friends on Facebook that the armed bystander who took down the gunman was a "hero."
"To the good Samaritan that killed that monster, I want to meet you and shake your hand and tell you face to face thank you for saving my daughter's and everyone else in that restaurant's life. You are my hero sir," Giles wrote on Facebook.
An eyewitness, Ron Benton spoke to KFOR and gave an insight into what he saw happen. Benton said that at first they only heard loud noises like in a restaurant but then he suddenly saw people making their way to the floor and try and escape the situation in the bar. Benton describes the shooter as being a '20-something kid' who did not look very old.
"He was wearing ear protection and eye protection that you would have at a shooting range, so obviously he intended to come here and shoot tonight," Benton said.
He further added that by the looks of him he did not think the shooter had 'any intention of dropping the weapon'.