Texas gunman opens fire outside of courthouse

W

WillBrayjr

Moderator
This happened about 20 minutes ago in Tyler, Texas. Four people where shot, two where killed. The gunman was appearently upset about a court case. Found the info at Yahoo.
 
"I thought shooting people outside the courthouse was one of those rights Texans have?"

It all depends on whether or not the shootee needed killin'. :D
 
The shooter used an AK pattern weapon and killed two people, one of whom was his (ex?) wife and one of whom was a Texas CHL holder who was killed while returning fire. The shooter was wearing a vest.
 
And you know what? They would be right to point out that this is a problem. So we point out the greater good is protected at the loss of these two lives.

Crap

Hard choices here.

Ban the vest? The other guy was returning fire right?
 
sure would be nice if the honest law abiding citizens could have their guns while the criminals couldnt get there hands on them. of course that is impossible. what needs to happen is that these scumbags who commit the crimes need to be locked up for a loooooonnngg time, spend that money thats being wasted in iraq to build some more prisons. if someone walks into a store and pulls a gun on someone and robs the place and gets caught, what do they get, a couple years in prison if that. i wouldnt have a problem if that got them 50 years with no shot at parole.
 
It's also a shame because the guy used an assault style firearm. The anti-gunners will have an even bigger field day with this case. Yet they still don't realize that it isn't the gun's fault. Yes, it is very bad that people got hurt. The maniac with the chainsaw that anything can be used as a weapon!
 
From here: http://www.tylerpaper.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=14028947&BRD=1994&PAG=461&dept_id=226369&rfi=6

A Tyler man embroiled in a bitter child support dispute opened fire on his ex-wife and son with a high-powered rifle, killing the woman and a bystander who attempted to intervene.

Several people, including three lawmen, were wounded in the exchange.

Police ultimately shot and killed David Hernandez Arroyo Sr. after he fired repeatedly at officers during a two-mile chase that ended off U.S. Highway 271.

The 43-year-old suspect, who was wearing multiple layers of body armor, died in a hail of police gunfire after authorities rammed his pickup and he emerged, gun raised and firing.

The scene around the normally quiet Smith County Courthouse turned into chaos as people dove for cover to escape the gunman. Office workers scrambled to lock doors and crawl to safety.


Authorities said it was the bloodiest day in recent memory.

The dead, both of Tyler, have been identified as Maribel Estrada, 41, and Mark Allen Wilson, 52, a personal trainer and gun enthusiast. The wounded include David Arroyo Jr., 23, the suspect's son, five law enforcement officers and two bystanders.

Authorities surmised afterward the deceased never had a chance.

Details continue to emerge, but preliminary evidence suggests Arroyo planned the ambush to the minutest de-tail.

He was armed with an AK-47, two types of body armor and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, said Tyler Police Chief Gary Swindle.

Within a span of about two minutes, the downtown square in Tyler was transformed to a landscape of shell casings, broken glass and stunned witnesses.

"I saw people lying everywhere that had been shot," said a dazed Nathan Hoffman, an attorney working di-rectly across the street from the courthouse when shots rang out.

"I saw a guy walking down the street with a high-powered rifle shooting at the courthouse," Hoffman said. "I said, 'Everyone move to the back of the office!'" By then, the scene erupted in chaos.

The gunman, Hoffman said, was "just running down the street shooting."

Witnesses said Arroyo ambushed his ex-wife and son outside the courthouse and started firing.

Ms. Estrada was struck multiple times and died on the lower steps on the east side of the courthouse, officials said.

Arroyo continued firing, aiming next at his son.

"He was either wounded or dead, but the guy (Arroyo) shot him again to make sure he wouldn't get up," said witness Brandon Malone, a Tyler builder who was lunching inside Don Juan's.

Smith County Sheriff's Deputy Sherman Dollison, 28, who was serving as a substitute bailiff for the day, was shot multiple times while standing on the landing of the courthouse steps.

He is listed in critical condition at East Texas Medical Center with injuries to the lungs and liver.

SCSO Lt. Marlin Suell, 38, and Tyler Police Det. Clay Perrett, 54, were injured by stray gunfire - Suell in the back of the neck and Perrett to the side of the face.

Repeated shots fired by the suspect shattered glass and sent bystanders scurrying for cover, behind benches, bushes and vehicles.

Several people were wounded by flying glass and one man fell unconscious after suffering a seizure, a hospital spokeswoman said.

The noise prompted Mark Wilson, a gun enthusiast, to intervene as Arroyo continued to fire on his wounded son.

"They traded shots, missing each other, and then the gunman hit Wilson and Wilson went down," said Nelson Clyde III, publisher of the Tyler Morning Telegraph, recalling the shooting as he watched from Don Juan's.

"The gunman walked up to Wilson and shot him while he was on the ground," Clyde said. "I couldn't believe what I was seeing ... it was sickening."

Witnesses said Arroyo calmly walked to his truck, still trading shots with an unidentified man lying beside a Chevrolet, and climbed inside.

"He slowly backed up a bit, and drove away at normal speed, right past a patrol car," Clyde said.

Wilson approached the suspect and fired several times, but the shots appeared useless due to the multiple lay-ers of body armor, witnesses said.

He was wearing both a bulletproof vest and a military flak jacket.

Arroyo turned and fired on Wilson, killing him just a few feet outside the front door of Levine's clothing store. The suspect climbed into his maroon Chevrolet stepside pickup and sped away.

Witness Ron Martell, a military veteran who watched the killing spree, trailed the fleeing suspect and pointed him out to police.

"At first, I couldn't believe it," he said. "I watched the suspect shoot that guy at least seven times. Then he got into his truck and casually drove away. I followed him."

City, county, state and federal law enforcement officers rushed to chase down the suspect and tend to the wounded.

Sirens wailing, authorities began chasing Arroyo, who fired at officers and the courthouse as he sped away from the killing scene.

The caravan of officers pursued the suspect to North Spring Avenue and onto East Gentry Parkway, trailing him to the area of U.S. 271 and Duncan Street.

Witnesses up and down the corridor rushed for cover from stray gunfire as Arroyo continued firing at officers. "When they came through, there were a lot of shots flying around," said Henry Lee, manager of Rayson Automotive, 2021 E. Gentry Parkway. "I ducked."

A deputy rammed the man's vehicle, prompting him to emerge firing.

Officers returned fire, striking the man several times, at least once in the head.

Sobbing relatives rushed to the location, but were held at bay by authorities.

Authorities spent hours searching the highway for spent casings. Dozens of tiny markers documented the number of shots fired.

"Obviously he came prepared because he came with a bulletproof flak jacket," said Chief Swindle. "Witnesses reported seeing him reload."

Swindle said of the law officers on the scene, "They were simply outgunned. They were armed with handguns and he (Arroyo) was armed with an AK47."

Arroyo had previously told his wife he would kill her if she pressed the issue of child support, authorities said. "He came here with one thing in mind," Swindle said. "He had the act set in his mind to murder his ex-wife. He has a history of assaulting his ex-wife and several weapons offenses."

Authorities credited Wilson with possibly saving the life of Arroyo's son, who was reported to be in fair con-dition.

Swindle said the armor worn by Arroyo was designed to withstand not just bullets, but also landmine explo-sions.

Staff writers Patrick Butler and Roy Maynard contributed to this report.
Click to expand...

LawDog
 
Authorities credited Wilson with possibly saving the life of Arroyo's son, who was reported to be in fair con-dition.
Click to expand...

That's good for them to point out. Shame he died but at least it wasn't in vain.

Swindle said the armor worn by Arroyo was designed to withstand not just bullets, but also landmine explo-sions.
Click to expand...

They got this backwards, flak vests are designed to stop fragments from shells and mines, been around since WWII. It's the bullet resistance that's the exciting new feature.

This was the "worst-case scenario" (determined bad guy with a rifle and armor) we're supposed to be training for. I'll have some stuff to think about for the next range trip.
 
Wynterbourne:

My thoughts exactly. Or, more like -- train to recognize when "normal" COM hits aren't working, and then switch to a head shot quickly. From what I can tell, that's the only thing that woulda helped that guy.

Anybody have any idea how many shots he (the good guy) got off? Did he have enough time to recognize that "normal" COM hits weren't effective and switch point of aim? Being close range and given what he was up against, he may not have.

Oh, and this is a nice, prime example of why it isn't a good idea to keep armor piercing ammo from law abiding citizens. Sometimes, it is the bad guys that are armored. Ya, if that guy had been loaded up with some of those dirty, evil, wicked "Cop Killer" bullets, maybe the outcome of this would have been different. Or maybe not -- since that type of ammo really isn't that good for SD -- no expansion. The only thing it is good for is penetrating armor. So, even if available, I still wouldn't recomend using it.
 
Houston TV Stations - disgusting!

I am furious! I just saw the 10:00 pm KHOU Ch. 11 and KPRC Ch. 2 news spots on the Tyler Courthouse shooting. Both spots were quick to refer to an "assault weapon" and Ch. 2 said the murderer fired 50 rounds.

What really has me steaming is the way they reported on Mark Wilson's death. They didn't give his name and merely mentioned him in passing, referring to him as a bystander also killed.

I called Ch. 11 newsroom and asked why they didn't report his involvement accurately; i.e. a CHL who died trying to save lives. An arrogant woman simply said, "well, obviously we didn't know it or we would have." What a load of crap! The media has had this information since late this afternoon, or early evening. I switched over to Ch. 2 and they had the same report.

What an insult to a brave man; pitching the assault weapon slant, while ignoring his sacrifice. I hope the local stations hear from some folks.

Chas.
 
charles, thats old news, the houston tv media outlets are a joke. if the temps. outside drop below 50 degrees the will lead off the 10pm news with it. channel 2 is the worst of all. Radar the weather dog?? they even had an animal physicologist on to tell them what the dog was thinking! i know what the dog was thinking.... "oh my God im surrounded by idiots"
 
It would be interesting to know what weapon Mr. Wilson was armed with. Locally, we had a mental subject enter one of our two Catholic Parishes today. Armed and saying; "I want to kill someone". Parishioners disarmed him and held him for LEOs.
 
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