Man who targeted Okla. restaurant posted troubling videos
The gunman who burst into an Oklahoma restaurant and opened fire at random before being fatally shot by two bystanders, left a troubling digital footprint on social media, documenting his life and what he believed to be the devil following him.
Oklahoma City police say they didn’t have any recent reports about Alex Tilghman, and the 28-year-old wasn’t on their radar. Officers aren’t aware of any documented mental illness, but a series of concerning videos posted over the past month on YouTube could have been a plea for help.
Oklahoma City police Officer Megan Morgan confirmed to USA TODAY that a photo of Tilghman used on his Facebook and YouTube accounts was indeed the gunman in the shooting. Police said they are investigating the videos.
Tilghman had on ear muffs like those supplied at shooting ranges and wore protective glasses when he opened fire at Louie’s Grill & Bar on Thursday. He was armed with a handgun and shot three people, including a mother and her daughter, Oklahoma City police Capt. Bo Mathews said.
All victims were in good condition Friday, according to police.
The shooting could have continued if it weren’t for two men who ran to their vehicles and grabbed handguns locked in their trunks, Mathews said. The men, Juan Carlos Nazario, 35, and Bryan Wittle, 39, shot and killed the gunman in the parking lot, police said.
In a video titled “Please contact me if you’re real” on April 27, Tilghman last posted to YouTube before the shooting. He said he’s being haunted by demons and is under attack.
“My life is in danger,” he says in the four-minute video. He also said, “Satan is after me.”
While sitting in what appears to be a living room, Tilghman details tapping, cracking and loud booms that he’s heard in his home, adding that everyone lives in a matrix and “the devil is after my (expletive) ass.”
He includes a plea for “real people” to contact him – even posting his phone number – because he’s under a “demonic attack.”
“I’m feeling really bad right now,” he said. “I’m super stressed.”
In another video titled “How God has transformed me” posted April 26, Tilghman detailed the ups and downs of finding jobs and being homeless but finding faith in God. He said he bounced around from his mother and father’s homes but moved out after he discovered they weren’t real humans, but rather demons. He said he worked at an auto auction company but left after “Satan striked” and caused his co-workers to “gang up” on him. He said one of his co-workers suggested he needed counseling and others started calling him names.
He says he later got a license to become an armed security guard and worked at a security company for a few months before quitting. Police have said they are investigating whether this is true.