On February 24, 2005, a man shot his wife and son outside the courthouse in Tyler, Texas, and involved police and court officials in a gun battle. David Hernandez Arroyo, Sr. fired a shot in front of the courthouse with a semi-automatic AK-47 rifle, killed his ex-wife, and injured his son. A downtown resident, Mark Alan Wilson, tried to intervene but was shot dead. Arroyo was shot dead by police after a high-speed pursuit.
Video Tyler courthouse shooting
Detail
Shootout dimulai
At the time of the shooting, Estrada and his 23-year-old son, David Hernandez Arroyo, Jr., entered the courthouse for an examination of his ex-husband's failure to pay child support after their 2004 divorce. Estrada's lawyer later stated that his client did not believe his ex-husband became dangerous.
Arroyo, who had been parked and lying in wait near the courthouse, approached his ex-wife and son on the steps outside the Smith Court House and fired on them with an AK-47 rifle. Maribel Estrada was hit in the head and killed instantly, and Arroyo's son was beaten in the leg and wounded. Both fell to the ground on the steps behind the courthouse.
The nearest law enforcement officer was present at the courthouse responding to the initial gunfire and starting to exchange fire with Arroyo. At this point, law enforcement officers armed only with guns, and Arroyo was able to hurt some people and force them to retreat.
Mark Alan Wilson
A local resident, Mark Alan Wilson, was in his apartment downtown when he heard the shooting began. He looked out the window and saw Arroyo on the steps of the courthouse involved in a shoot-out with law enforcement. Wilson, who holds a hidden gun's license from Texas, immediately armed himself with a Col.45-caliber pistol, and left his residence to intervene in a gun battle. Since Arroyo had been involved in a hot gun battle with sheriff's deputy and Tyler police officer, he did not see Wilson's approach from behind.
When Wilson approached Arroyo from behind, Arroyo aimed at his son who had been shot at his feet and injured. Acting to defend the life of Arroyo's son, Wilson fired a shot from a distance of about 50 feet, which struck Arroyo in the back, causing him to stumble and distract him from his son. An eyewitness who saw Wilson's round strike, Arroyo, reported seeing "a white puff of a powdery substance" derived from Arroyo's outfit. It is believed to be the first time that Arroyo was beaten or wounded during his assault on the courthouse.
Wilson was forced to take shelter behind Arroyo's truck in a vulnerable position and exchange fire with Arroyo. As Arroyo began to approach Wilson's position, he stood behind the cover and fired again, hitting Arroyo. Unknown to Wilson, Arroyo wore a bulletproof vest, making Wilson's shot ineffective. Arroyo finally unleashed a shot that struck Wilson, who faltered and fell from the witness's view, facing down behind Arroyo's truck. Arroyo then runs to Wilson and fires three more shots at him, killing him.
Pursuit and Arroyo's death
Officers from the Tyler Police Department, including Officer Wayne Allen and Sergeant Rusty Jacks, a trained sniper armed with a Colt AR-15 rifle, arrive on site. After more than 116 rounds were fired, Arroyo tried to escape and the pursuit ensued. The chase continued from Tyler's city streets to the nearest highway.
At the end of the chase, Arroyo fired on the vehicle of John Smith Deputy Sherman who was behind the Arroyo truck during the chase. After being burned, Deputy Smith returned fire with his still-moving vehicle and used his patrol car to crash into Arroyo's truck. Arroyo stops the vehicle, leaves it, and attempts to shoot Smith, whose patrol car basically stops on the passenger side of Arroyo's truck after bumping into him. Smith hurried away to avoid Arroyo's gunfire and shots from other law enforcement officers. With Arroyo now out of his vehicle, Sergeant. Rusty Jacks fired five shots from his weapon, hitting Arroyo behind his head and killing him instantly as he tried to get back to his vehicle.
Maps Tyler courthouse shooting
Aftermath
The shooting was widely covered by national news organizations and videos of the incident were easily accessible on the Internet.
Mark Wilson has been widely credited as being heroic of his actions, which is believed to have caused Arroyo to stop his attacks and escape from the region without killing his son, and Texas House unanimously adopted a resolution (HR 740) on March 31, 2005 in his honor.
Victim
- Mark Alan Wilson and Maribel Estrada were killed on set.
- David Hernandez Arroyo, Jr. injured in the leg, but survived.
- Smith County Sheriff's Deputy Sherman Dollison, 28, and Marlin Suell, 38, were injured during the incident.
- Tyler's policeman, Clay Perrett, was injured in the incident.
See also
- 2003 Ennis shooting
- Brian Nichols, Fulton County, Georgia court house shooter
- Shooting at Kirkwood City Council
- Marin County court incident
References
External links
- Articles about methods and ethics defend others with firearms.
- Story about shooting with an event video.
- News article about filming
- Estrada's lawyer comments about Arroyo
- Mark Wilson's action account during the firefight
- Another account of Mark Wilson's actions
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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