On January 12, an Arizona Highway Patrol officer responding to a rollover wreck was attacked by the driver of the vehicle in the incident. The officer was shot in the shoulder and chest, and then the assailant physically assaulted him, trying to bash his head on the pavement.
A passing motorist saw the assault, stopped and exited his vehicle with a handgun, ordered the attacker to stop, and upon his failure to respond and the officer’s cries for assistance, the motorist shot the assailant, killing him, and possibly saving the life of the officer.
In a statement given today, the emotional shooter described the incident. Rambo he is not:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56YVIBxTkDE?rel=0&showinfo=0]
DPS Director Frank Milstead discusses the incident in more detail:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g64i9cl1mco?rel=0&showinfo=0]
Not an off-duty cop. Not ex-military. Just a guy who goes shooting “three or four times a year.”
Moreover the Samaritan, Thomas Yoxall, had a felony conviction in 2000 that would have rendered him a “prohibited person” under 18 U.S. Code § 922 (g)(1). However, “In October 2003, a Superior Court judge vacated Yoxall’s guilty judgment and restored his right to possess a gun.”
We’re told that dangerous criminals like Yoxall can’t be trusted with a firearm. Trooper Ed Anderson, I’m sure, is glad that he was armed.