Tyler courthouse shooting

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Tyler courthouse shooting
Tyler courthouse shooting
Sgt. Rusty Jacks, who later fired the shots that killed Arroyo, initially followed Arroyo away from the shooting scene riding on the hood of a police cruiser.
Location Tyler, Texas, USA
Date February 24, 2005 (UTC-6)
Attack type murder and resisting arrest
Weapon(s) MAK-90 rifle
Deaths 3 (perpetrator, his ex-wife and a civilian)
Injured 4 (three law enforcement officers and perpetrator's son)
Perpetrator(s) David Hernandez Arroyo Sr.†

The Tyler courthouse shooting refers to a February 24, 2005, incident in which David Hernandez Arroyo Sr. opened fire on his ex-wife and son in front of the Smith County Courthouse in Tyler, Texas, then engaged law enforcement officers in a shootout. Mirabel Estrada, his ex-wife, was killed at the scene, as was Mark Allen Wilson, a downtown resident who attempted to intervene; Arroyo was fatally shot by police after a high-speed pursuit where he repeatedly shot at officers. Two sheriff's deputies, a police officer, and Arroyo's son were wounded.

At the time of the shooting, Estrada and her son, David Hernandez Arroyo Jr., were entering the courthouse for a hearing regarding her ex-husband's failure to pay child support after their 2004 divorce. Estrada's lawyer later stated that his client did not believe her ex-husband to be dangerous.

Arroyo, who had parked nearby, approached his ex-wife and son on the steps outside the Smith County Courthouse and fired on them with a semi-automatic MAK-90 rifle, a semi-automatic rifle styled after the AK-47 assault rifle, hitting Estrada in the head and Arroyo Jr. in the leg. The shots brought a response from nearby sheriff's deputies and police, and Arroyo and the officers began trading gunfire. The officers were armed only with pistols, and Arroyo wounded several and forced them to retreat.

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[edit] First attempt to subdue

A local resident, Mark Allen Wilson, was returning to his nearby apartment when the shooting began. Wilson, who held a Texas concealed handgun permit, is believed to have responded to seeing Arroyo shoot his wife by drawing his own weapon, a Colt .45 caliber pistol and approaching. Arroyo was already engaged in a heated gun battle with sheriff's deputies and Tyler police officers and apparently did not see Wilson.

Wilson fired one round at Arroyo, causing him to stumble. A witness saw the round strike Arroyo and saw "white puffs of powder-like substance" come from Arroyo's clothing. This appeared to be the first time Arroyo was hit or injured during his attack on the courthouse. Wilson then took cover behind Arroyo's truck.

As Arroyo approached, Wilson stood up and fired again at Arroyo over the truck, hitting him; however, Arroyo was wearing a bulletproof vest, and Wilson's shots did not disable him. Arroyo turned and fired at least one shot at Wilson, who faltered and disappeared from view behind the truck. Arroyo then fired at him three times, killing him.

[edit] Second scene and aftermath

After over 116 rounds had been fired, Arroyo attempted to flee Tyler in his truck with a number of police officers in pursuit. The pursuit went from the streets of Tyler to the freeway. Here, Deputy Sheriff John Smith used his patrol car to ram Arroyo’s truck, while firing out of his window at Arroyo. Arroyo stopped to fire upon Smith, who at this point was out of ammo. As Smith sped away to avoid the fire from Arroyo, Sgt. Rusty Jacks fired five shots from his Colt AR-15 rifle, one of which struck Arroyo in the back of the head, killing him instantly and ending the battle.

The incident was covered by national news organizations and video from the incident was broadcast worldwide.

The incident was the subject of a number of internet e-mail chains and web pages that variously highlighted the bravery of the law enforcement officers involved and Mark Wilson, advocated the need for stricter regulation of semi-automatic assault rifles, remarked on the utility of semi-automatic assault rifles in stopping spree shooters, emphasized the dangers inherent in using a pistol against a criminal armed with a more powerful weapon, pointed out the dangers of civilians becoming involved in police activity, and advocated positions on both sides of debates on gun control and carrying of concealed handguns by civilians.

Mark Wilson has been widely credited with trying to save lives, at the cost of his own, of law enforcement officers and citizens at the courthouse and surrounding area by injuring Arroyo, causing him to disengage from his attack and flee the area without murdering his son.

The Texas House unanimously adopted a resolution (HR. 740) on March 31, 2005 to honor Wilson.

The Texas State Rifle Association honored Wilson by publishing an account of his actions.

[edit] Casualties

  • Mark Allen Wilson and Maribel Estrada were killed at the shooting scene.
  • David Hernandez Arroyo Jr. survived his wounds.
  • Smith County sheriff's deputies Sherman Dollison, 28, and Marlin Suell, 38, and Tyler police officer Clay Perrett were wounded during the incident.

[edit] External links