Oklahoma Shooter Shot and Killed by Armed Bystander

On Thursday, a man opened fire at Louie’s Grill & Bar in Oklahoma City, injuring at least four people before being shot and killed by an armed citizen.

The Oklahoma City Police stated that the man entered Louie’s Grill & Bar around 6:30 p.m., and that one of the victims was later “taken to a hospital with serious injuries.”

According to Police Captain Bo Matthews, a woman and a girl who were shot and wounded in the incident have undergone surgery and are expected to fully recover (they were afterward confirmed by a KOCO reporter to have been a mother and daughter who were celebrating a birthday at the restaurant).

As of now, the shooting is still under investigation, and the shooter is still unidentified, though the police department maintain that there is no “indication of terrorism.” Still, the intentions of the shooter—as well as whether he had a relationship with the victims—are currently unknown.

Talking to CNN, Matthews noted that the police had limited information on the shooting, since it is so early on in the investigation. He did state that the man was using ear protection. The police plan on looking for his fingerprints, and checking his shooter’s social media activity after identifying him. Referring to the man who confronted the shooter, the captain said “Right now, all I know is that it was just a good Samaritan that was there and looks like he took the right measures to be able to put an end to a terrible, terrible incident.”

KFOR, a CNN affiliate, was told by witness Ron Benton, “[the shooter] was just a 20-something-year-old kid. Didn’t look very old. He was wearing ear protection and eye protection that you would have at a shooting range.” He proceeded to say that the man who stopped the shooter afterward was someone who clearly “had some weapon training”; Benton thought he was probably an off-duty officer. According to Benton, the man was in his car and went outside of the vehicle after hearing the gunshots, and then he went back into his vehicle to get a pistol.

Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt tweeted that he has been communicating with the City Manager & the Police Chief, followed by the statement that, “As OCPD has reported, the suspect is dead.”

The National Rifle Association also released a statement on Twitter, stating that they hope the incident will serve “as a wake-up call for [Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin], who just two weeks ago vetoed a constitutional carry bill.” The NRA believes that this incident serves as an example of “how the best way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.”

Gov. Fallin voted against a bill that would have allowed Oklahoma’s citizens to carry a gun without a permit. While explaining the reasoning for her procedure, Fallin, a Republican, stressed the importance of firearm training requirements and solid background check rules—which the bill proposed to eliminate. She continued by highlighting the importance of law enforcement being able to identify gun-holders who have been properly trained and those who have not.

Featured Image via: Flickr/Paul L. McCord Jr.