Armed bystander in shooting ‘just reacted’

OKLAHOMA CITY — One of two armed bystanders credited with fatally shooting a gunman who opened fire at an Oklahoma City restaurant said he crouched behind cars as he approached the shooter and tried to get him to drop his weapon but the man kept firing.

Bryan Whittle gave his first detailed account of the Thursday night shooting, scoffing at suggestions he was a hero, saying, “I just feel like I’m just an average guy who had the right tool to help at the right time.”

Whittle said he and his wife were driving by the lakeside restaurant when they saw a commotion outside. Witnesses pointed out a gunman, who investigators say had shot and wounded a woman and two girls inside.

“I just reacted,” the 39-year-old said. “I wasn’t thinking about anything other than I had to stop this guy and I’m not going to die here.”

Whittle, a master sergeant in the Oklahoma Air National Guard with 18 years of military service, said he grabbed his .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol and yelled at the gunman to drop his weapon. He realized the gunman was wearing protective ear gear, so he gestured with his hand, but the gunman raised his weapon.

“I see the gun again in his hand. And then I, you know, finished trying to stop the threat. Until he fell on the ground,” Whittle said.

Police have said the shooting appeared to be random and confirmed they were looking into the mental health of the suspected gunman, Alexander Tilghman.