Bryan Whittle (incorrectly spelled Bryan Wittle in early reports) and Juan Carlos Nazario were identified as the heroes who stopped a gunman at Louie’s Grill & Bar in Oklahoma City on Thursday night, May 24. Early reports indicated that one armed citizen shot and killed Alexander Tilghman, 28, after he shot people inside the restaurant from just outside the front door. A police report later indicated that there were two people who shot the gunman: Whittle and Nazario. The men are being credited with stopping the gunman from hurting anyone else.
1. Bryan Whittle & Juan Carlos Nazario Got Their Guns from Their Cars & Confronted Tilghman
Bryan Whittle, 39, and Juan Carlos Nazario, 35, were outside the restaurant when they saw what was happening. Alexander Tilghman never went inside the restaurant, but shot at people from just outside the front door of Louie’s on the Lake at Lake Hefner in Oklahoma City.
When the two men saw what was happened, they both went to their cars and got their guns from their trunks. They confronted Tilghman, shooting and killing him before he could injure anyone else.
During a press conference, Oklahoma City Police Captain Bo Mathews said the two men might have stopped something worse from happening.
“They stopped an incident that was very bad, and we had no idea what he was going to do after,” Mathews said during a press conference. “It could have really been bad… We’re very blessed that only three people were shot and didn’t lose their lives.”
2. Whittle & Nazario Did Not Know Each Other
Whittle and Nazario both just happened to be in the right place to help, and they didn’t even show up together. Mathews said that the two didn’t know each other and had arrived separately. When asked during a press conference if they had concealed weapon licenses, he said it really didn’t matter because they weren’t carrying their guns, they had kept the guns in their car trunks.
3. Bryan Whittle Is Happily Married & His Friends Are Hailing Him as a Hero
FacebookBryan Whittle, as identified by proud friends.
Bryan’s Facebook page is mostly private except to show that he’s very happily married, but his friends and family are sharing on social media just how proud they are of him.
His cousin was quick to share on Twitter how to correctly spell his name:
@johnehoover It’s actually Bryan Whittle. I know that because he is my cousin. Proud of him today, that’s for damn sure.
4. Juan Carlos Nazario Is a Security Guard Who Said He Only Did What He Was Trained To Do
This is Juan Carlos Nazario, 35, a security guard in Oklahoma City.
He’s being hailed a hero for stopping an active shooter who police say opened fired at an OKC restaurant, wounded a 12 year girl and her mother. Nazario was 1 of 2 civilians who shot the suspect dead.
Juan Carlos Nazario is a security guard in Oklahoma City. He told KOCO 5 that he was just following his training. “Just did what I was trained to do to neutralize the situation,” he said.
5. Thankful People Are Taking to Social Media & Calling the Two Men Heroes
Thankful for the bravery and fortitude of Juan Carlos Nazario and Bryan Wittle. Heartbroken that someone could be so disturbed as to enter a restaurant to harm others.
Tilghman came to the restaurant prepared for the shooting, said Oklahoma City Police Captain Bo Mathews during a press conference. He was wearing ear and eye protection that a person would use at a shooting range. He never actually entered the restaurant, but shot from just outside the front door.
The shooting happened just before 6:30 p.m. at Louie’s on the Lake at Lake Hefner, KFOR reported. Three people were shot. Natalie Will and her daughter, Syniah Giles, 12, were shot as they walked in front of the restaurant. Natalie was grazed by a bullet and didn’t need surgery, but Syniah was shot near the tailbone and required surgery that lasted a couple hours. Alex Speegle was also shot and will have surgery sometime today. Her collarbone was shattered and she was also shot in the right arm. She may suffer nerve damage to her right hand.
Tilghman had stepped away from the restaurant when the two men confronted him, stopping him before he might hurt someone else. Tilghman had posted numerous YouTube videos during the weeks prior, talking about how he believed demons were attacking him and that most people he saw weren’t real, but were inhabited by demons wanting to hurt him.
