OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- A gunman is dead and four victims recovering after a shooting in Oklahoma City.
Police are calling this a random event, and say the 28-year-old suspect did not appear to know anyone in Louie's on Lake Hefner as he stood in the doorway shooting inside. Now officers and neighbors of Alex Tilghman are trying to figure out why this happened.
Oklahoma City Police are breathing a sigh of relief as victims recover: three people shot in the arms and stomach, and a man who broke his arm as he tried to get away.
Now officers are commending the two men who ran to their cars during the violence, grabbing handguns to shoot and kill Tilghman in his tracks.
"You can say they're heroes, which is a very good thing to say. I think they stopped an incident that was very bad and we had no idea what he was going to do after he left the Louie's restaurant," Oklahoma City Police Captain Bo Mathews said.
Neighbors of the Tilghman family said they knew the 28-year-old for years, never suspecting he was capable of this.
"I just... kind of almost threw up. I just, it was very, very upsetting. First of all I feel horrible for the people that were shot. But I also really feel horrible for Chris, the father," Lynn Robberson said.
Mathews said the restaurant is a confined area on the water, making it difficult to escape. But some wish Tilghman could have been taken into custody without incident.
"Yes, the shooter needed to be stopped. But apparently two people took a shot at the young boy. Those shots could have gone anywhere. You don't know how well trained those people are," Robberson said.
The suspect was shot about 50 feet from the restaurant as he ran toward the parking lot. Neighbors tell us his father is grieving for the loss of his son, and the innocent people injured.
"He's very, very torn up. He was very emotional, had a little bit of trouble talking because he was so emotional. I think he's heartbroken," Robberson said.
Historically the district attorney's office protects good samaritans in these cases, but police said ultimately the Oklahoma County DA will determine if there are charges.
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