Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Armed Citizens End Gunman's Attack In Oklahoma Restaurant
Bill McEwen updated website photo 2024
By Bill McEwen, News Director
Published 7 years ago on
May 25, 2018

Share

OKLAHOMA CITY — A gunman opened fire inside an Oklahoma City restaurant during the dinner rush, wounding a woman and two girls before two armed citizens shot him dead outside, police said Friday.
The suspected gunman, 28-year-old Alexander Tilghman, was armed with a pistol when he entered Louie’s On The Lake around 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. A 39-year-old woman and two juvenile girls were shot and wounded, while an unnamed man fell and broke his arm while fleeing, according to a statement from police.

Louie's On The Lake Restaurant
Police officers stand at the scene of a shooting on the east side of Lake Hefner in Oklahoma City, Thursday, May 24, 2018. A man armed with a pistol walked into Louie’s On The Lake restaurant at the dinner hour and opened fire, wounding two customers, before being shot dead by a handgun-carrying civilian in the parking lot, police said. (Sarah Phipps/The Oklahoman via AP)
Tilghman was then shot dead outside the restaurant by two citizens identified by police as Juan Carlos Nazario and Bryan Wittle.

Four Victims in Good Condition

All four victims were reported in good condition Friday, according to Oklahoma City police Capt. Bo Mathews. A suspected motive for the shooting hasn’t been released.
Dennis Will said his daughter and granddaughter were among those shot. Talking with reporters outside the hospital where the shooting victims were taken, Will said his daughter called him after the shooting and said they had been shot while entering the restaurant for a birthday dinner.
A woman who answered the phone at the home believed to belong to Tilghman’s mother declined to comment when contacted by The Associated Press. Telephone and text messages seeking comment from Nazario and Wittle were not immediately returned.
The Hal Smith Restaurant Group, which owns the restaurant, released a statement saying the restaurant will be closed Friday and counselors will be available to employees and customers.
“We are extremely thankful the situation didn’t escalate further, and that injuries were not more widespread. However, our hearts are with the wounded during this incident,” the statement read.
The statement referred other questions to police.

NRA Tweets Its Reaction

The National Rifle Association said in a tweet Friday that the shooting was an example of “how the best way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.” The organization said it hopes the incident serves as a “wake-up call” for Republican Gov. Mary Fallin, who recently vetoed a so-called constitutional carry bill that would have allowed adults to carry firearms without a license or training in Oklahoma.


In April, a restaurant patron wrestled an assault-style rifle away from a gunman at a Waffle House in Nashville, Tennessee. Four people were killed in that shooting. Police have said there would have been far more casualties if it weren’t for the patron’s quick thinking.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Trump Faces Uproar From MAGA Base Over Possible Iran Strike

DON'T MISS

Iran Would Accept Trump’s Offer to Meet Soon, New York Times Reports

DON'T MISS

Meta in Talks to Hire Former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman to Join AI Efforts, The Information Reports

DON'T MISS

Fed Keeps Rates Steady but Pencils in Two Cuts by End of 2025, Warns of Inflation Ahead

DON'T MISS

Putin Says He Does Not Want to Discuss the Possible Israeli-US Killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader

DON'T MISS

A Little Coffee With Your Whiskey? Downtown Fresno Gets New Craft Cocktail Lounge

DON'T MISS

‘Any Illegal Immigrants?’ Trump Quizzes Workers at the White House

DON'T MISS

What Is Juneteenth and When Did It Become a US Federal Holiday?

DON'T MISS

US B-2 Bombers, Bunker-Busters and Alternatives

DON'T MISS

US Social Security, Medicare to Run Short of Funds in 2033, Trustees Say

UP NEXT

Hurricane Erick Threatens Mexico’s Pacific Coast, Rapid Strengthening Expected

UP NEXT

More US Officials Face Threats as Fears Grow Over Political Violence

UP NEXT

Protester Killed at Utah ‘No Kings’ Rally Was Fashion Designer From ‘Project Runway’

UP NEXT

‘We Will Kill You Dead’: Florida Sheriff’s Stark Warning to Demonstrators

UP NEXT

Here’s What to Expect at the Army’s 250th Anniversary Parade on Trump’s Birthday

UP NEXT

US House Passes Trump Cuts of $9.4 Billion for Foreign Aid, Broadcasting

UP NEXT

Tulare County Inmate Found Unresponsive in Cell, Autopsy Pending

UP NEXT

Harvey Weinstein Convicted of Sex Crime Amid Contentious Jury Deliberations

UP NEXT

Trump Warns Protests at Army Parade Will Be Met With Force

UP NEXT

Do Americans Support Trump’s Use of Marines in LA? The Numbers Might Shock You

Bill McEwen,
News Director
Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email

Fed Keeps Rates Steady but Pencils in Two Cuts by End of 2025, Warns of Inflation Ahead

6 hours ago

Putin Says He Does Not Want to Discuss the Possible Israeli-US Killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader

7 hours ago

A Little Coffee With Your Whiskey? Downtown Fresno Gets New Craft Cocktail Lounge

8 hours ago

‘Any Illegal Immigrants?’ Trump Quizzes Workers at the White House

8 hours ago

What Is Juneteenth and When Did It Become a US Federal Holiday?

8 hours ago

US B-2 Bombers, Bunker-Busters and Alternatives

8 hours ago

US Social Security, Medicare to Run Short of Funds in 2033, Trustees Say

8 hours ago

Buss Family to Sell Lakers, Report Says

8 hours ago

Trump Administration Resuming Student Visa Appointments, Official Says

8 hours ago

Teen Girl Accused as Getaway Driver in Caleb Quick Murder Appears in Court

9 hours ago

Trump Faces Uproar From MAGA Base Over Possible Iran Strike

WASHINGTON – The prospect of a U.S. strike against Iran has exposed divisions in the coalition of supporters that brought President Do...

6 hours ago

U.S. President Donald Trump holds a 'Make America Great Again' (MAGA) hat as he attends the commencement ceremony at West Point Military Academy in West Point, New York, U.S., May 24, 2025. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo
6 hours ago

Trump Faces Uproar From MAGA Base Over Possible Iran Strike

6 hours ago

Iran Would Accept Trump’s Offer to Meet Soon, New York Times Reports

6 hours ago

Meta in Talks to Hire Former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman to Join AI Efforts, The Information Reports

6 hours ago

Fed Keeps Rates Steady but Pencils in Two Cuts by End of 2025, Warns of Inflation Ahead

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the Security Council via a video link at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia June 10, 2025. (Reuters File)
7 hours ago

Putin Says He Does Not Want to Discuss the Possible Israeli-US Killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader

8 hours ago

A Little Coffee With Your Whiskey? Downtown Fresno Gets New Craft Cocktail Lounge

President Donald Trump talks about the new flag pole being installed on the South Lawn of the White House, in Washington, Wednesday, June, 18, 2025. President Trump decided to check the immigration status of a work crew installing a new flagpole at the White House. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)
8 hours ago

‘Any Illegal Immigrants?’ Trump Quizzes Workers at the White House

8 hours ago

What Is Juneteenth and When Did It Become a US Federal Holiday?

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend