Armed bystanders who killed gunman praised by the NRA

A man who believed he had been under demonic attacks drove to an Oklahoma restaurant and indiscriminately fired at a crowd, injuring three people, authorities say.

Alexander C. Tilghman, 28, was shot and killed by two citizens minutes after he arrived Thursday evening at Louie’s Grill & Bar, a lakeside restaurant in Oklahoma City, police spokesman Capt. Bo Mathews said. Tilghman stood at the restaurant’s entrance with a handgun and fired from the door before two men shot him, putting an end to “a very dangerous situation,” Mathews told reporters at a news conference Friday.

“You can say they’re heroes, which is a very good thing to say. ... Heroes is a great terminology. I just say they were two people who stopped a very tragic situation from going any further,” Mathews said.

The two citizens, Carlos Nazario, 35, and Bryan Wittle, 39, were not armed, but they rushed to the trunks of their vehicles to grab their handguns as Tilghman began shooting. The two men will probably not face any charges because they were protecting other people’s lives, Mathews told reporters.

Three people, 39-year-old Natalie Giles and two girls, were shot but are in good condition, police said.

The shooting appears to be a random act of violence, police said.

The incident at the Oklahoma restaurant energized the National Rifle Association, which immediately seized on the moment Friday, saying the actions of the two men are “just another example of how the best way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.”

The powerful lobbying group also criticized Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, who had vetoed a permit-less carry bill despite pressure from gun-rights advocates in the gun-friendly state.