OKLAHOMA CITY – The man suspected of shooting three people inside an Oklahoma City restaurant before being fatally shot by bystanders had no obvious connection to the victims or the restaurant, and was legally authorized to carry a firearm, authorities said Friday.
Mathews said Thursday's shooting appeared to be random but noted that Tilghman drove to the restaurant and wore protective gear for his ears and eyes.
"It looked like his mind was made up that he was going to discharge his firearm once he got there," Mathews said during a Friday news conference. Mathews stressed that the investigation was ongoing and confirmed that Tilghman's mental health was being looked into.
He calmly begs for help from "a real human," saying he's suicidal, lonely and "really losing it."
The director of the LGBT rights group Freedom Oklahoma, Troy Stevenson, said Tilghman is the same man who distributed flyers across Oklahoma City earlier this year warning of demons taking over people's bodies. And a reporter with the LGBT publication The Gayly conducted an interview in January with Tilghman, who warned of "demons in cloned transexual (sic) bodies."
A man who identified himself as Tilghman's brother told television station KOCO that Tilghman needed mental health treatment, saying: "Nobody reached out to him, you know. He was crying for help."
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.
Police said Tilghman was armed with a pistol when he opened fire inside Louie's On The Lake around 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. A 39-year-old woman and two girls were shot and wounded, while an unarmed man broke his arm while trying to flee.
Mathews said it's unlikely either of the men, Juan Carlos Nazario and Bryan Whittle, will face criminal charges. Telephone and text messages left by The Associated Press seeking comment from the two men were not immediately returned Friday.
"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.
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.